Delhi Excise Policy Case: Court Takes Notice On K Kavitha’s bail plea

The Delhi High Court has taken notice of a bail plea filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Leader K Kavitha in connection with the money laundering case linked to the scrapped Excise policy of Delhi. Kavitha has also filed a bail plea in the CBI case, which is expected to be heard on Monday, after both her bail petitions were dismissed by a trial court.

May 24, 2024 has been set aside as the date of the hearing for the specific arguments in this case. In her appeal, Kavitha emphasised that she is a mother of two children, one of which is a juvenile who is under medical monitoring right now because of shock. She said that members of the Center’s ruling party had attempted to link her to the controversy.

She argued that the entire case of the Enforcement Directorate relies on statements made by witnesses or co-accused, without any corroborating evidence. Kavitha claimed that her arrest is illegal as certain legal provisions have not been complied with.

Moreover, she asserted that there is no evidence supporting the allegations of cash transactions or any money trail, and the satisfaction of guilt expressed in her arrest order is merely superficial. Kavitha accused the investigative agencies of using their powers to tarnish her reputation for political motives, particularly ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 15, 2024, and subsequently by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 11, 2024. The CBI had stated that her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth a larger conspiracy related to the Excise Policy and establish the money trail of ill-gotten gains.

Allegations of irregularities in modifying the excise policy, extending undue favors to license holders, and causing a loss to the exchequer have been made by the ED and CBI. These allegations include the refund of earnest money deposits and the waiver of license fees, resulting in significant financial losses.