The Enforcement Directorate on Monday alleged that Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC K Kavitha, among others, conspired with senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, to secure favours in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy, The Hindu reported.
“In exchange for these favours, she [Kavitha] was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the leaders of AAP,” the central agency alleged. “By the acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-’22, a continuous stream of illegal funds in the form of kickback from the wholesalers was generated for the AAP.”
The central law enforcement agency also alleged that Kavitha and others were to recover the “proceeds of crime paid in advance to AAP and to further generate profits/proceeds of crime from this entire conspiracy”.
The Enforcement Directorate’s case is based on a first information report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation alleging irregularities in the excise policy. The agencies have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party modified the policy to ensure a 12% profit margin for wholesalers and a nearly 185% profit margin for retailers.
The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that Kavitha is part of a so-called South Group that paid at least Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party through arrested businessman Vijay Nair.
Kavitha was first questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation for over seven hours in December 2022. On March 11, 2023, she was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in the same case for over nine hours.
Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested on March 15 by the Enforcement Directorate for her alleged involvement in the liquor policy case after a raid at her home in Hyderabad. She was taken to Delhi for questioning.
On Tuesday, she withdrew her plea from the Supreme Court that had challenged her arrest and remand by the Enforcement Directorate, reported PTI.
An earlier petition filed by Kavitha is pending in the top court, in which she pointed out the restriction placed on law enforcement officials under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in questioning and arresting a woman.
She had argued that the Enforcement Directorate was using its powers to summon her with an intimidatory tactic.
On February 28, the court had extended immunity from coercive action by the central agency until March 13.
However, on Friday, Kavitha’s brother and former Telangana minister KT Rama Rao alleged that the officials of the Enforcement Directorate violated its undertaking of no coercive action.
Kavitha has, in the past, said she has done nothing wrong and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government of harassing its political adversaries.
Two senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders – Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – are currently in jail in connection with the case.
The Enforcement Directorate has also sent several summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the case. He has challenged the summons in a Delhi court.
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