A courtroom in Delhi remanded BRS leader K Kavitha to ED custody till March 23 in a cash laundering case linked to the Delhi excise coverage rip-off. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar’s daughter is allegedly a key member of the ‘South Group’, a gaggle which has been accused of paying the ruling AAP kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for an enormous share of liquor licences within the nationwide capital. (*23*)
Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council and daughter of former state chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was produced earlier than Special Judge for ED circumstances M K Nagpal, who despatched her to the custody of the federal anti-money laundering company for every week. The ED had sought her custody for 10 days.
Kavitha, 46, was arrested from her Banjara Hills residence on Friday amid protests by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supporters. While sending her to ED custody, the decide stated the necessity for her custodial interrogation was felt to be there because it has been noticed that investigation has come to a halt due to her alleged non-cooperation.
“The involvement of accused in commission of the alleged offence of money laundering and the crucial role played by her are duly reflected from records and the case file produced by IO before this court and the need for her custodial interrogation is also felt to be there as it has been observed that investigation has come to a halt because of non joining thereof by the accused or her alleged non-cooperation therein and she is required to be interrogated to trace out the trail of a major portion of the proceeds of crime,” the decide stated.
On accused’s arguments that ED violated Supreme Court’s instructions, the decide stated that “effecting arrest of the accused amounts to contempt of any order or not is a question which has to be decided by the Supreme Court itself and not by this court.”
“Keeping in view the nature of allegations levelled against accused and the role played by her in commission of the alleged offence, there is a need for remanding her to ED custody for the purposes of investigation. Hence, the accused is being remanded to the custody of ED till March 23, 2024 for the purposes of her detailed and sustained interrogation and she shall be produced before this court at 12 pm on that day,” the decide stated.
The decide additional directed that her interrogation shall be carried out at some place having CCTV protection in accordance with the rules laid down by the Supreme Court, and to protect these footage.
The ED has alleged that Kavitha was part of the South foyer which paid a bribe of Rs.100 crore in money to the politicians or public servants representing the ruling AAP in Delhi, so as to tweak the above excise coverage, and she or he was alleged to have been concerned in legal conspiracy proper from its inception.
Her remand got here on a day Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appeared earlier than a metropolitan courtroom in reference to two complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate towards him for skipping summons within the cash laundering case linked to the alleged excise coverage rip-off.
Kejriwal, who skipped eight ED summonses earlier than turning up on the courtroom, was granted bail. His senior get together colleagues-Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh-are in jail for his or her alleged involvement in formulating and implementing the excise coverage 2020-21 which drastically raised the revenue margins of liquor wholesalers and retailers. The ED has claimed Delhi’s ruling dispensation prolonged them the favour in return for cash.
While being produced earlier than the decide, Kavitha termed her arrest as unlawful and asserted, “We will fight it out in court.” During the listening to, senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari, showing for Kavitha together with advocate Nitesh Rana, instructed the decide her arrest was “illegal”.
The counsel additionally accused the federal anti-money laundering company of flouting the Supreme Court course whereas arresting her. They claimed the apex courtroom had directed the ED to not take any coercive motion towards Kavitha earlier than it hears her plea towards the summons issued by the company to her on March 19.
“It is a black day that SC orders are violated, that an officer thinks he/she is above law,” the counsel instructed the courtroom. The ED, nevertheless, stated it has not made any assertion earlier than a courtroom, together with the Supreme Court, that no coercive motion will probably be taken towards Kavitha.
“There is enough evidence, witnesses’ statements against K Kavitha in the case,” the ED stated. The company additionally accused Kavitha of destructing proof within the case. “We have summoned several witnesses to confront K Kavitha with,” the company instructed the courtroom. Though Kavitha has not been named as an accused in any cost sheet filed by the ED, the company has claimed she was a key determine of the ‘South Group’ who made benami investments in beneficiary liquor firms.
(With inputs from PTI)
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