ED seeks 14 days judicial custody for BRS leader K Kavitha in Delhi excise policy case

As per the Enforcement Directorate (ED), K Kavitha, a leader of the BRS party, allegedly participated as a member of the 'South Group' involved in paying kickbacks totaling Rs. 100 crore to AAP leaders. 

The Enforcement Directorate has sought 14 days of judicial custody for BRS leader K Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy scam case. A Delhi Court on Monday (April 08) turned down the interim bail plea of Kavitha who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case. 

The BRS leader had urged the court on Thursday for interim bail, claiming that her 16-year-old son has exams and needs his mother’s “moral and emotional support”. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Kavitha's attorneys presented their cases before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who postponed deciding until Monday.

K Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15.

Kavitha, a prominent member of the "South Group" that reportedly paid Rs 100 crore in bribes to the governing Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi in exchange for a large portion of liquor licenses in the nation's capital, is the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. 

In 2021-22, the Delhi government introduced an excise policy to rejuvenate the city's liquor industry. This policy aimed to replace the sales-volume-based system with a license fee structure for traders, promising upgraded stores without the infamous metal grilles, thereby enhancing the overall customer experience. However, the policy was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena sought a CBI probe into the policy alleging irregularities.