Delhi liquor policy case: K Kavitha sent to judicial custody till April 9

Delhi's Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday sent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha to judicial custody till April 9 in the money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

In doing so, Special judge Kaveri Baweja accepted Enforcement Directorate's (ED) application seeking 14-day judicial custody for Kavitha. The BRS leader was arrested by ED on March 15, and, a day later, sent to the agency's custody till March 23. Then, her ED custody was extended till March 26

Additionally, on April 1, a plea moved by her for interim bail, will be taken up. She has sought bail as examinations of her 16-year-old son are about to commence.

In the liquor policy case, ED's primary allegation against Kavitha is that she was a member of the so-called ‘South Group' that paid kickbacks worth ₹100 crore to leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs Delhi, in exchange for nine retail zones under the now-scrapped policy. Others in this ‘group,’ the agency claims, are Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSCRCP) MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, Aurobindo Group promoter Sarath Reddy, and Delhi-based businessman Sameer Mahendru.

Those arrested from the AAP include senior and high-profile party members such as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, among others. On March 21, Kejriwal became the first sitting chief minister to be arrested, and continues to ‘work’ from jail.