Delhi Liquor Policy Case: K Kavitha Arrested After ED Raid, Brought To Capital For Questioning

BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter, K Kavitha, on Friday, was arrested after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided her residence in Hyderabad in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. The BRS MLC was brought to Delhi for further questioning.

The BRS leader will move the Supreme Court today through her legal team to challenge her arrest by the ED. The lawyers of the 45-year-old politician will try to seek an urgent hearing before the apex court on Saturday against the arrest, media reports said.

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According to reports, an argument ensued between ED officials and BRS leader KTR, who is also Kavitha’s brother, when the probe agency served an arrest memo on the BRS leader. KTR alleged ED produced an “illegal arrest warrant” against Kavitha. ED officials told KTR not to “obstruct” the team’s work.

Earlier in the day, BRS spokesperson Sravan Dasoju called the ED raids “politically motivated” and said both BJP and Congress are “hand-in-glove to harass leaders” of the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led party.

“Wherever ( Prime Minister Narendra) Modi goes ED and IT ( Income Tax) either precedes or succeeds. That is what is happening in Telangana. They want to create a panic situation in the BRS. The ED and IT which are working at the behest of BJP are not bothered about the Congress leaders of Telangana who have illegally obtained so much wealth,” the BRS leader was quoted by PTI as saying.

Last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) issued summons to Kavitha in connection with the same case. This was the second time the BRS MLC had been asked to appear before the central probe agency. She, however, skipped the CBI summons citing her “pressing onerous engagements” in a letter.

ED, on the other hand, has alleged that Kavitha is part of South Lobby and was represented by Arun Pillai, who allegedly played a key role in benami investments and bribery, in Indospirits.

In 2022, the CBI grilled Kavitha after serving notice as a witness. ED had already alleged that Kavita acted on behalf of the South cartel to bribe AAP government officials and ministers.

The statement of accused Amit Arora to the Enforcement Director revealed that the South cartel of liquor contractors that paid Rs 100 crore to the Aam Admi Party government’s key functionaries was led by P Sarath of Aurobindo Pharma, MLC Kavita and MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.

Both CBI and ED are simultaneously probing the case. Kavitha was questioned several times last year at the ED headquarters and had to submit her mobile phones to the federal agency for investigation.

(With inputs from PTI)