On Monday, the Delhi High Court rejected the bail pleas of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in two cases related to corruption and money laundering linked to the Delhi liquor policy scandal.
A bench led by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who had reserved the verdict on May 28, dismissed Kavitha’s petitions. A detailed order is yet to be issued.
K Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15. The ED alleges that Kavitha is a key member of the "South Group," which is accused of paying Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi in exchange for a substantial share of liquor licenses in the capital.
Following this, on April 11, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended Kavitha from Tihar Jail, where she was already under judicial custody.
Kavitha had appealed against the trial court's May 6 decision that dismissed her bail applications in both the CBI's corruption case and the ED's money laundering case.
In her bail plea concerning the ED case, Kavitha asserted that she had "nothing to do" with the now-scrapped excise policy, claiming that the charges were part of a criminal conspiracy against her, orchestrated by the ruling party at the Centre with the ED's active connivance.
Kavitha’s lawyer emphasized that she is the only woman among the 50 accused in the excise case and urged the court to consider her bail, noting that the law provides special consideration for women.
However, both the CBI and ED opposed Kavitha’s bail requests, arguing that she possesses significant influence that could potentially sway witnesses.