After Arvind Kejriwal, ED Names K Kavitha as 'Kingpin' of Liquor Policy Scam; Will Remain in Custody for 3 More Days

[Spartan]

A Delhi Court on Saturday sent BRS leader K Kavitha to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody for three more days in the liquor scam case, while the former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter filed a bail plea.

CNN-News18 accessed the central probe agency’s remand note against Kavitha. It said that the BRS MLC “is evasive in her statements and not despensing the complete truth”.

ED told the court that Kavitha’s nephew’s phone was recovered during the search at her premises.

After calling Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the ‘kingpin’ and ‘key conspirator’ in the liquor scam case, the federal agency termed Kavitha to be the “kingpin and co-conspirator” in the case.

While leaving the court, Kavitha questioned the timing of the political arrests, asking why these actions were being taken in between all the preparations and campaigns for the Lok Sabha elections.

She urged that the “Election Commission of India should intervene and protect the democracy of the country”. Both the people and the ECI should think about these arrests, she added.

The probe agency, earlier in the day, sought five more days of remand of the BRS MLC in Rouse Avenue Court. It also informed the court that searches were being conducted at Kavitha’s nephew, Mekha Saran’s house.

ED’s lawyer Zoeb Hossain noted that all the conditions for K Kavitha’s remand were complied with, adding that medical examinations had taken place every 24 hours. “Once she had high BP, medication was provided,” Hossain said.

The anti-corruption agency’s representative told the court that the BRS MLC’s statement was recorded along with four others, saying that several other co-accused’ statements 

Hossain noted that Kavitha was “confronted” with her mobile data’s forensic report which showed deletion and formatting of data. “She conspired to pay the kickbacks of Rs 100 crores,” he said.

Following the ED’s submission, advocate Nitesh Rana — appearing for K Kavitha — filed for bail plea on behalf of the BRS leader. In response, Hossain said that “At this stage, bail won’t be maintainable,” adding that the “investigating officer is neck deep in probe”.

After hearing both the sides, the court reserved its order on the remand application.

Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court asked BRS leader K Kavitha to move trial court for bail as the apex court “cannot admit relief petition under Article 32 of the Constitution”.

Following the court’s oral observation, Kavitha’s lawyer Kapil Sibal told the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh and Bela Trivedi, “My lords, what happened in Hemant Soren? What is happening in the trial court? This cannot happen.”

However, the Bench made it clear that it unambiguously agreed that it would not let the statutory procedures bypass just because there was a political person involved