BREAKING NEWS: Kavitha gets Bail, at last!

[Anta Assamey]

In a big relief to BRS leader K. Kavitha, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted her bail in connection with the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. 

A bench presided over by Justice B.R. Gavai directed Kavitha to regularly attend the trial proceedings and cooperate with the expeditious disposal of the trial.

“The appellant is directed to be forthwith released on bail in both (CBI and ED) cases on furnishing bail bond of Rs 10 lakh each. She shall not make any attempt to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses. The appellant shall deposit her passport with the trial court,” it ordered.

The Bench, also comprising Justice K.V. Viswanathan, said that the operative part of the order will be uploaded by 2 p.m. on Tuesday itself.

The apex court clarified that it made no observations on merits while releasing Kavitha on bail and such observations will not prejudice the conduct of trial.

In an earlier hearing, the top court fixed August 27 for hearing bail pleas filed by Kavitha, after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju sought a week to file a reply on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Supreme Court, on August 12, agreed to examine Kavitha’s pleas and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file their reply. At that stage, it had declined to pass any interim relief without hearing the side of investigative agencies.

Kavitha, the daughter of BRS chief and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, was denied bail by the Delhi High Court on July 1. A bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma said that the material collected in the course of the investigation revealed that she was one of the chief conspirators in the entire conspiracy relating to the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped new excise policy.

Kavitha had petitioned the Delhi High Court after a special court here on May 6 turned down her regular bail pleas.

She was first arrested by the ED from her Hyderabad home on March 15 and brought to Delhi. She was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 11 when she was in Tihar Jail.