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The Delhi excise policy case has taken a new turn with the extension of judicial custody of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha till May 20 by a Delhi court on Tuesday.
Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The ED has alleged that Kavitha was a key member of the ‘South Group’ that paid kickbacks worth ₹100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital.
The Rouse Avenue Court deferred hearing arguments on consideration of the sixth supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED in connection with the probe.
Last Friday, the ED had filed a nearly 200-page prosecution chargesheet along with annexures under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, three employees of a company that handled AAP's Goa campaign (Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd) -- Damodar Sharma, Prince Kumar and Chanpreet Singh -- and a former employee of India Ahead news channel Arvind Singh have been named as accused in the latest charge sheet.
The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities. Subsequently, the ED filed its money laundering case on August 22, 2022, taking cognisance of the CBI FIR that was lodged on August 17, 2022.
The agency has arrested 18 people in connection with the case so far. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested on March 21, got interim bail last Friday.
Source: Delhi excise policy case: K Kavitha's judicial custody extended till May 20