BRS Leader K Kavitha Seeks Bail in Delhi Excise Policy Case, Alleges Political Vendetta

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, arrested in the Delhi Excise Policy case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has filed a bail application in the trial court. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja has instructed the CBI to respond to Kavitha's plea by April 20. The court will convene on April 22 to deliberate on the matter, with Kavitha requesting interim bail during the hearing.

Kavitha's legal troubles escalated when she was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 in connection with a money laundering case. Subsequently, she faced arrest by the CBI on April 11. Following interrogation by the CBI on Monday, Kavitha was remanded to judicial custody until April 23.

The genesis of the case involving Kavitha and others dates back to 2022 when the CBI initiated an investigation following a First Information Report (FIR). The FIR alleged manipulation of the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021-22, purportedly facilitating monopolization and cartelization of wholesale and retail liquor trade in Delhi. The allegations underpinning the case invoke provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Notably, the FIR implicated individuals from South India, alleging that profits were funneled to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Presently, Kavitha finds herself in judicial custody in both the ED and CBI cases. While her bail plea in the ED case awaits consideration by Judge Baweja, Kavitha has proffered several arguments in her application seeking bail in the CBI case.

Kavitha contends that her arrests were orchestrated to undermine her and her party's prospects in the upcoming General Elections. She alleges that the timing of her apprehensions—on March 15 by the ED, just a day before the election schedule declaration, and on April 11 by the CBI, less than ten days before the commencement of nomination exercises in Telangana—was not coincidental. She posits that these arrests were part of a concerted effort by the ruling party at the center to disadvantage her and her party in the electoral arena.

Moreover, Kavitha asserts that the evidence presented against her by the CBI was not freshly obtained but rather "illegally procured" in collusion with the ED long ago. She claims that this tactic was employed to hinder her election campaigning efforts.

In her bail application, Kavitha refutes any involvement in the Delhi Excise Policy and vehemently denies any association with it. She accuses the ruling party of leveraging investigative agencies to tarnish her reputation and subject her to further coercive actions.

Furthermore, Kavitha alleges that the CBI's reliance on statements from approvers or their associates forms part of a larger conspiracy to besmirch her and her father, former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.

In addition to her legal arguments, Kavitha cites her medical condition, specifically hypertension, as a basis for seeking bail.