Court extends BRS leader Kavitha ED’s custody till Mar 26

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha until March 26 in the money laundering case linked to the now-defunct Delhi excise policy.

The agency presented Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, upon the expiry of her remand.

On March 16, the court had granted the probe agency, the custody of the BRS Leader until March 23, 2024.

During the hearing, the federal probe agency sought a five-day extension of her custody, however, the remand was extended only for 3 days.

The ED alleged that Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was a key member of the ‘South Group’ accused of paying the AAP kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a significant share of liquor licenses in the national capital.

Following her presentation in court, the ED stated that she was confronted with the statements of four people and a forensic report of the data extracted from her phone. The probe agency also informed the court about raids being conducted at her nephew’s house in Hyderabad.

The counsel for the BRS leader filed a bail plea in court. Kavitha, 46, a Telangana Legislative Council member, was arrested by the central probe agency from her residence at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad on March 15. Meanwhile, the ED officials conducted searches at the premises of Kavita’s close relatives.

The searches were initiated early in the morning at the flat of a relative of Kavitha at an apartment building in the Madhapur area in the city based on information provided by Kavitha during her questioning in the ED’s custody.

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant bail to Kavitha and directed her to approach the trial court for the same.

The ED alleged that Kavitha was part of the ‘South Group’ which purportedly paid kickbacks of Rs.100 crore to AAP leaders. Partners of the ‘South Group’ were allegedly given a 65 percent stake in Indospirit.