BRS leader K Kavitha sent to CBI custody till April 15 in connection with Delhi liquor case

A Delhi court on Friday sent Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s custody till April 15, ANI reported

The agency had sought her custody for five days.

The CBI arrested Kavitha, who was already in judicial custody in an Enforcement Directorate case, on Thursday in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

Earlier on Friday, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader contended before a Delhi court that her arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation was illegal, Live Law reported.

Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhary, representing Kavitha, told the Rouse Avenue court that the CBI filed an application seeking to interrogate her, but did not give her an advance copy and did not give her the opportunity to respond.

Chaudhary further contended that although the Code of Criminal Procedure allowed the CBI to arrest the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader, once she was in judicial custody, she could not have been arrested without the court’s explicit approval, according to Live Law.

The agency, however, said that Kavitha’s arrest was not illegal and that it had taken the court’s permission to interrogate her. It told the court that she needed to be confronted with evidence to unearth the “larger conspiracy” in the case.

The Enforcement Directorate is investigating charges of money-laundering against Kavitha and leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party based on a first information report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The legislator from Telangana was first arrested on March 15 from her home in Hyderabad. A Delhi court on Tuesday extended her judicial custody until April 23. She had been denied interim bail by the court a day earlier.

Kavitha is alleged to be a part of a so-called South Group that paid “Rs 100 crore to the leaders of AAP” in exchange for favours related to the Delhi liquor policy through businessman Vijay Nair.