CBI arrests BRS leader K Kavitha, to produce her before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will produce Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Friday.

Earlier today, the CBI arrested Kavitha in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam under sections of criminal conspiracy and falsification of accounts of the Indian Penal Code and certain sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI took Kavitha under custody at 12.15 pm in Tihar Jail, where she was under judicial custody in the money laundering case, according to Kavitha’s legal team.

On Wednesday, the CBI apprised the concerned court in Delhi that the BRS leader had already been examined on April 6 in Tihar Jail in connection with the case. Special judge Kaveri Baweja was informed by the CBI counsel that “We are not filing any reply, we have already examined her on April 6”.

On April 5, 2024, the Delhi Court allowed the CBI plea to examine K Kavitha during judicial custody in the Tihar Jail on any day of the coming week.

The CBI, through the application, sought court permission to interrogate/quiz and record the statement of BRS Leader K Kavitha regarding WhatsApp chats recovered from Buchi Babu’s phone and documents to a Land deal post which 100 crores were allegedly paid to Aam Aadmi Party in kickbacks.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday sent K Kavitha to judicial custody until April 23, 2024. She was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate recently in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested K Kavitha MLC, Telangana Legislative Council, on March 15, 2024, in the case of the alleged liquor policy scam.

A search was also conducted at the residence of K Kavitha in Hyderabad on March 15. During the search proceedings, the ED officials were obstructed by the relatives and associates of K Kavitha, said ED through a statement.

The ED investigation revealed that K. Kavitha, along with others, conspired with the top leaders of AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to get favours in the Delhi Excise policy formulation and implementation. The ED has alleged that in exchange for these favours, she was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the leaders of AAP.

Through acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, a continuous stream of illegal funds in the form of kickbacks, from the wholesalers was generated for the AAP, as per the ED’s allegation.

Further, K Kavitha and her associates were to recover the proceeds of crime paid in advance to AAP and to further generate profits/proceeds of crime from this entire conspiracy, stated ED. The agency has filed one prosecution complaint and five supplementary complaints in the case so far.

Further, out of the proceeds of crime generated, assets worth Rs. 128.79 crore have been traced so far and have been attached via provisional attachment orders on January 24 and July 3 in 2023. Both the attachment orders have been confirmed by the adjudicating authority in New Delhi.

The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary’s report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies said.

As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the earnest money deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, the probe agency said and there was an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer. (ANI)