Court Allows CBI To Question K Kavitha In Tihar Jail In Liquor Policy Case

A court in Delhi has allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation to question Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha in jail in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. Ms Kavitha had been arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the money laundering angle in the alleged scam. 

The CBI, which had begun the initial investigation into the liquor policy case, had moved the Rouse Avenue courts in Delhi seeking permission to question the BRS leader, who is the daughter of the party's president and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.

Appearing before the court on Friday, the counsel for the CBI said Ms Kavitha had not heeded earlier notices and summons for questioning and that the agency needed to get details from her on the evidence that it has gathered in the course of its investigation. The petition was allowed by Special Judge for ED and CBI cases, Kaveri Baweja.

The BRS leader, who is also a Member of the Legislative Council in Telangana, had been arrested by the ED on March 15 after a raid on her house in Hyderabad. 

The agency has claimed that Ms Kavitha was part of a lobby called the 'South Group' which allegedly gave Rs 100 crore as kickbacks to AAP leaders in exchange for its members getting a slice of the lucrative liquor market in Delhi, which yielded an exceptionally high profit margin of 12% for wholesalers and nearly 185% for retailers under the new excise policy. 

The BRS leader was sent to judicial custody for 14 days on March 26 and is currently lodged in Tihar jail. She has also sought urgent interim bail on the grounds that her minor son's exams will be held, and the order on her petition has been reserved. 

Ms Kavitha has claimed that the case against her is false and fabricated. She has also accused the BJP of political laundering, alleging that at least one of the people implicated in the scam has given the party money through electoral bonds. 

Apart from Ms Kavitha, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were also arrested in the case. Mr Singh got bail on Tuesday while the others are still behind bars.