BRS's Kavitha sent to judicial custody till April 23
The Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha to judicial custody till April 23 in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy case. Kavith, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was produced before the court by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). To recall, her three-day day police custody ended on Monday.
Why does this story matter?
Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 and subsequently remanded to the custody of the CBI until March 23. Following this, on April 11, the CBI arrested her again, while she was lodged in Tihar Jail. Earlier, on April 9, a Delhi court had reserved its decision on her interim bail plea. She had sought bail citing her son's upcoming exam as grounds for release.
ED's charges against Kavitha
The detention by the CBI had followed a round of questioning by the probe agency's officials inside the jail, after receiving approval from a special court. To recall, the ED has accused Kavitha of being a key member of the "South Group," which allegedly bribed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with ₹100 crore in exchange for liquor licenses under the policy. The money was then allegedly used by the AAP to fund its election campaigns in Goa and Punjab.
Evidence and interrogation details in Kavitha's case
According to reports, the CBI questioned Kavitha about WhatsApp chats recovered from co-accused Buchi Babu's phone and documents related to a land transaction. These pieces of evidence are believed to be linked to the ₹100 crore payment made as illicit payments to influence Delhi's excise policy. Notably, according to the ED, the "South Group" included Kavitha, Sarath Reddy (promoter of the Aurobindo Group), YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, and others.
Other AAP leaders arrested in case
Kavitha was the third high-profile politician to be arrested in the case, after AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh. On March 21, Arvind Kejriwal became the first sitting chief minister to be arrested in the case. Both Sisodia and Kejriwal are lodged in Tihar, while Singh was let out of the jail after six months on Wednesday. He had been in custody since October 2023, after his arrest by the ED in the same case.
