Delhi liquor scam | ‘BJP custody’, says Kavitha after being sent to judicial remand
The CBI, which is running a parallel probe into the Delhi excise policy case, had sought her remand for five more days, which was rejected by the special court
Even as a Delhi court sent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha to judicial custody till April 23 after her three-day police remand to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) expired on Monday (April 15), the BRS leader dubbed her custody by the agency as ‘BJP’s custody’.
“This is not CBI custody but BJP custody,” Kavitha said while coming out of the courtroom.
The central agency had taken custody of the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged involvement in a money laundering case pertaining to the Delhi excise policy scam, from Tihar jail and had produced her before the Sessons Judge at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Courts after her three-day CBI custody granted earlier by the judge expired.
CBI officials, who are running a parallel probe into the case, had recently questioned Kavitha inside prison after obtaining permission from the special court.
What CBI probe found
The leader was questioned about the WhatsApp chats recovered from co-accused Buchi Babu's phone and documents related to a land deal, after which an amount of Rs 100 crore was allegedly paid to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in kickbacks to tweak the excise policy for the national capital in favour of a liquor lobby.
Kavitha, 46, was arrested from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad by the ED on March 15. She was the fourth high-profile politician to have been arrested by the central anti-money laundering agency. The ED had arrested AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh earlier in connection with the case. In an unprecedented move, the agency arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the night of March 21 in connection with the alleged scam.
ED’s questionable approver
The CBI sought her custody for five more days after submitting before the special court that the BRS leader “forced” Sarath Chandra Reddy to shell out Rs. 14 crore for a parcel of agricultural land in her home state of Telangana, while allegedly asking him to pay Rs 25 crore more for five liquor retail zones in the national capital of Delhi. Sarath Chandra Reddy is an approver in the case. Reddy’s firm Aurobindo Pharma name has figured among the top buyers of electoral bonds. His company bought electoral bonds worth Rs. 25 crore and donate the money to the BJP. The revelations have brought the intent behind the investigation into the alleged liquor scam into question.
ED’s tactical move on Singh's bail plea
However, the Supreme Court granted bail to AAP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP on April 2 after the ED in a tactical move chose to not oppose his bail fearing an adverse order from the top court which could impact the trial in the lower court later.
Kejriwal’s has filed a bail plea before the apex court after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him bail in the case. The bail plea is scheduled to be heard on Monday (April 15) by the top court.
Kavitha, Kejriwal and his fellow party leader and minister Sisodia are currently lodged in Tihar jail.
(With agency inputs)
