K Kavitha released from jail, says those who put her behind bars will be ‘paid back with interest’

Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha was released from the Tihar jail in New Delhi on Tuesday after the Supreme Court granted her bail in the liquor policy case earlier in the day.

Kavitha told party supporters who had gathered outside the jail that those responsible for sending her to jail would be “paid back with interest”, The Hindu reported.

She said that the case against her was politically motivated and the party would fight it.

“I am KCR’s daughter and I can never do wrong,” Kavitha said. “With my arrest, they [apparently referring to the BJP] further made BRS and KCR unbreakable.”

Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, had been in custody since March 15. The court on Tuesday reprimanded the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate for their selective approach in investigating the case.

It noted that while the investigations by the two agencies against Kavitha have been completed, the trial against her was not likely to conclude soon. It ruled that the agencies no longer needed to interrogate her in custody.

Kavitha is alleged to be a part of a so-called South Group that paid Rs 100 crore to Aam Aadmi Party leaders in exchange for favours related to the policy through businessman Vijay Nair.

Congress, BJP accuse each other of colluding with BRS

BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that Kavitha’s bail was good news for the Congress and its lawyers who appeared for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC.

“Your [Congress-BRS] untiring efforts finally yielded fruits,” he said in a post on X. “This bail is a win for both BRS and Congress – BRS leader is out on bail and the Congressman gets to Rajya Sabha. Remarkable political acumen by KCR in supporting the candidate, who initially argued for the bail, to be nominated to Rajya Sabha unopposed by the ruling Congress.”

Kumar was referring to Congress leader and Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who had initially appeared for Kavitha in court. Singhvi is now the Congress’s Rajya Sabha candidate from Telangana.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president and Kavitha’s brother KT Rama Rao said it was highly unbecoming of the Union minister to cast aspersions on the Supreme Court order, reported The Indian Express.

“I respectfully urge the Chief Justice of India and the respected Supreme Court to take cognizance of these comments and initiate contempt proceedings,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president B Mahesh Kumar Goud alleged that the bail is the beginning of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s merger into the BJP, reported The Hindu.

He alleged that the two parties had a secret pact to create problems for the Congress government in Telangana. The Enforcement Directorate facilitated the bail which is a result of KT Rama Rao and T Harish Rao’s alleged meetings with BJP’s senior leader in Delhi, he alleged.