The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it will refrain from summoning BRS leader K. Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case till the court hears her plea on 20 November 2023. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia advised Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, “Don’t call her in the meantime.” ASG Raju assured the bench that Kavitha will not be summoned for questioning until 20 November.
The bench scheduled Kavitha’s plea, challenging the summons issued by the agency on 20 November, and stated that interim orders of protection will be extended till then. On 15 September, the ED had informed the apex court that the summons issued to Kavitha for her appearance before the agency would be extended by 10 days. The ED had issued the summons dated 4 September to Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, seeking her presence at the agency’s Delhi office on 15 September.
She approached the apex court with an application seeking directions to restrain the ED from issuing notices or summons under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the pendency of her petition in which she sought protection from coercive action by the anti-money laundering agency. Section 50 of the PMLA deals with the powers of authorities regarding summons, production of documents, and giving evidence, among other things. The application also sought a stay on the operation of the September 4 summons or any other summons and “all coercive measures relating thereto”.