Court extends judicial custody of K Kavitha, Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy scam till 7 May

On Monday, 22 April, the court had reserved its order on her bail application till 2 May. Kavitha is in judicial custody in both the cases lodged by the ED and the CBI.

Also Read: Telangana’s Konda Vishweshwar Reddy emerges as richest BJP candidate in LS race

Charges against Kavitha, arrest

Charges against Kavitha have been investigated by the CBI.

CBI had arrested her from Tihar Jail, where she was lodged after her arrest by the ED in a money laundering case stemming from the alleged scam.

The agency is probing alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the AAP government’s excise policy, while the ED is investigating the money laundering aspect.

Charges against Kavitha are that she was one of the kingpins and key conspirators, and beneficiary of the tweaked Delhi liquor policy, which has since been scrapped.

The ED had alleged that Kavitha was one among those who are part of South Group which paid ₹100 crore in kickbacks to AAP for tweaking the liquor policy in such a way that it helped them reap undue benefit in liquor business.

ED suspects that Kavitha had orchestrated a deal with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

The probe agency arrested her at her posh Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on 15 March.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on 21 March after he failed to get an interim protection from arrest by the High Court in the repeated summons issued by the ED.

Soon after the arrest, the Delhi chief minister had challenged his arrest in the court, questioning the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act that caused his arrest.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are also accused in the ED case. While Sisodia continues to remain in jail, Singh was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court after a concession given by the ED.

(With PTI inputs)

(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj)