NEW DELHI: Delhi Court in its order on Saturday extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of BRS leader K Kavitha, an accused in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case, for 3 more days, till March 26.
Special Judge (PC) Act Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court granted and allowed the application of the central probe agency, ED, and directed that the accused be further remanded to ED custody till March 26, the next date, when she has to again be produced before it.
During the course of the hearing today, the ED sought further 5 more days custody of Kavitha, on the ground that she was not cooperating in the interrogation in the case. "We are strict that we need further 5 more days custody of her," special counsel Zoheb Hossain, for the ED told the Court.
Hossain said that after the ED secured Kavitha's first remand, she was thereby interrogated, confronted with statements of four people and then also questioned based on the findings during investigation.
He also said that Kavitha also confronted with a forensic report showing formatting of her mobile phone data during the probe. Her cell phone data was being analysed now.
Pointing toward Kavitha's role in the case, he said that during the search conducted at her residence on March 15, a mobile device belonging to one, Meka Saran (her nephew) has been seized by the ED. He was called two times to appear before the investigation. However, he has failed to appear before the investigation, he said
Hossain also claimed that during the investigation, the ED found that Saran was also allegedly involved in the transfer or utilisation of the proceeds of crime.
The ED said Saran is a "close relative" of Kavitha and that he was present in her house when ED conducted the raid.
Kavitha was produced by the ED today before Judge Baweja, after her 7 days of ED custody expired today.
Nitesh Rana, appearing for Kavitha, said that she has filed a bail application in the matter.
The ED, opposed her bail plea on the ground that ‘a bail plea cannot be entertained at the present stage of the case’. The court did not pass any order on her bail plea.
It is also to be noted that earlier on March 15, during a hearing in the top court, Kavitha's another plea challenging the ED's powers as to whether or not the agency has the power to summon her in light of a July 2022 judgment in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhary case, was taken up, and matter was adjourned for March 19, Tuesday. But on the same day, on March 15, she was arrested by the central probe agency at 5.30pm, while it was conducting a raid and questioning her at her Hyderabad residence.
Kavitha, 46, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister, K Chandrashekar Rao, termed her arrest as illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional and said, "We will fight it (case) out in the court. My arrest is blatant abuse of power illegally used by the ED," she said.
The ED, in its allegation claimed Kavitha was linked to a "South Group" lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role under the now scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.
It has been alleged by the ED that one of the accused in the case, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks to the tune of at least ₹100 crores on behalf of AAP leaders from the "South Group", allegedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy. She claimed innocence in the entire case.
