Delhi liquor policy case: SC issues notice to CBI, ED on K Kavitha's bail plea

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the CBI and the ED on a plea for bail made by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader, K Kavitha in the cases filed by both the central agencies in connection with the 2021-22 liquor policy 'scam'.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan sought a response from both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate by August 20 after hearing senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi for her.

Rohatgi said the petitioner has been in jail for five months. He said she is entitled to bail as her case was covered in the judgments in cases of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.

Kavitha, 46, the daughter of the former Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrashekar Rao, claimed innocence in the case.

The ED claimed Kavitha was a key member of the "South Group", which has been accused of paying the ruling AAP in Delhi kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital.

The ED alleged that one of the accused in the case, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crores on behalf of AAP leaders from the "South Group", allegedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.

Kavitha approached the top court challenging the Delhi High Court's order of July 01, which rejected her bail petition.

Kavitha was first arrested by the ED on the evening of March 15, 2024 from her Hyderabad residence.

The CBI took her into custody on April 11 in its separate case in the scam.

On July 1, HC's single judge bench Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma said there was no merit in the prayer made by the accused seeking bail in the case.

On May 6, Special Judge of CBI and ED cases, of the Rouse Avenue Court here in Delhi, Judge Kaveri Baweja dismissed Kavitha's bail plea in the excise case.

She subsequently filed an appeal before the Delhi HC seeking bail and challenging the dismissal of bail.

The trial court had earlier too rejected her bail plea, after noting that her alleged complicity in the case could not be ruled out.