Kavitha grilled for 9 hours in excise policy case, summoned again on Mar 16

Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader Kavitha Kalvakuntla deposed before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for nine hours on Saturday (March 11) in connection with a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, officials told PTI.

#WATCH | Delhi: BRS MLC and Telangana CM's daughter K Kavitha leaves the ED office after she was questioned by the ED officials pertaining to Delhi liquor policy case. pic.twitter.com/muNnfY9FVQ

— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2023

The 44-year-old daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao walked out of the federal agency’s headquarters on Delhi’s APJ Abdul Kalam Road around 8 pm after nine hours of questioning and recording her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), news agency PTI reported.

Kavitha had arrived at the ED office from her father’s official residence on Tughlak Road about 1.5 km away, around 11 am. The officials told PTI the BRS leader has been summoned again on March 16 in connection with the case.

There was heavy presence of Delhi Police and central paramilitary forces for barricading the ED office as BRS supporters staged a protest.

Also read: BRS leader Kavitha leads hunger strike demanding passage of Women’s Reservation bill in Parliament

The Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allegedly allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who paid bribes for it. The ruling AAP has strongly denied the charge. The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA.

(With agency inputs)