New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case, while delivering a stern reprimand to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the fairness of their investigation and questioning the agencies for basing their entire case on inferences rather than solid, incriminating evidence.
A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and KV Viswanathan granted bail to Kavitha on grounds that the investigation was complete, the trial was likely to be delayed due to the extensive number of witnesses and documents, and that, as a woman, she was entitled to special treatment under Section 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Kavitha, an MLC (Member of Legislative Council) and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested by ED on March 15 and by CBI almost a month later in connection with the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy of 2021-22. Kavitha was accused of playing a central role in paying an alleged bribe of Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
