Former Telangana Chief Minister’s Daughter K Kavitha Arrested in Money Laundering Investigation
A Delhi court on Saturday granted Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha until March 23 in connection with the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.
Special Judge MK Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Courts issued the order after Kavitha was presented by the ED following her arrest yesterday in the case.
The ED had requested ten days of custody for Kavitha, who was arrested yesterday evening from her Hyderabad residence after searches conducted by the agency and the Income Tax department.
Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and a Telangana Legislative Council member, was arrested by the central probe agency at 5:20 pm, as per the arrest memo.
Challenging the arrest, K Kavitha stated today, “The arrest is illegal. We will fight it in court.”
Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhary, representing Kavitha, argued that her arrest was a clear abuse of power and authority, alleging that the ED violated its oral assurance given to the Supreme Court last year.
He claimed that the ED withdrew its oral undertaking, which was not recorded in the Apex Court’s order, adding that there was no justification for the immediate arrest.
However, special counsel Zoheb Hossain, representing the ED, contended that no statement was made to any court, including the Supreme Court, assuring no coercive action against Kavitha.
He emphasized that newspaper reports cannot be relied upon to show court proceedings and stated that in the absence of an explicit judicial order, Kavitha cannot presume interim relief in her favor.
Hossain further submitted that the ED has reliable statements indicating Kavitha’s involvement in receiving kickbacks, and the agency plans to confront her with those individuals on Monday.
In the remand application, the ED alleged that Kavitha was a key conspirator and beneficiary of the excise policy scam, orchestrating kickbacks to AAP leaders in exchange for favors in policy formulation and implementation.
The case pertains to financial irregularities surrounding the now-scrapped liquor policy and the alleged role of a ‘south liquor lobby,’ with Kavitha being summoned by the ED in March 2023.
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