New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to BRS leader K Kavitha in cases of corruption and money laundering connected to an alleged Delhi liquor policy case.
The court demanded that the ED and CBI present evidence to substantiate Kavitha’s involvement in the purported Delhi excise policy scam.
Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan presided over the bench hearing Kavitha’s bail applications in the corruption and money laundering cases associated with the alleged scam, which is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Kavitha’s senior advocate, Mukul Rohatgi, requested bail, stating that the investigations by both agencies were complete. He also mentioned the Supreme Court’s decision to grant bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who is also implicated in the cases.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the investigative agencies, alleged that Kavitha had destroyed or formatted her mobile phone, which he interpreted as tampering with evidence. Rohatgi dismissed this claim as “bogus.” The bench inquired Raju about the evidence indicating Kavitha’s involvement in the crime.
Previously, on August 12, the Supreme Court had asked for responses from the CBI and ED regarding Kavitha’s challenges to a July 1 Delhi High Court verdict that denied her bail in both cases.
The High Court had rejected Kavitha’s bail applications, deeming her prima facie a key conspirator in the criminal conspiracy surrounding the creation and execution of the now-defunct Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
Kavitha, aged 46, was arrested by the ED at her Banjara Hills home in Hyderabad on March 15, and subsequently by the CBI on April 11 from Tihar jail. Kavitha has refuted all the charges.