The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on April 15 extended the judicial custody of BRS leader K Kavitha until April 23 in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor excise policy scam case.
The case, investigated by the CBI, pertains to purported irregularities in the formulation and execution of the now-defunct Delhi liquor excise policy for the year 2021-22.
Appearing before the court on Monday following the expiration of her three-day police custody, Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, faced a request for judicial custody from the CBI. However, her legal representatives, including Advocate Nitesh Rana and Deepak Nagar, opposed the plea, citing insufficient grounds for her continued custody as she is deemed no longer necessary for custodial interrogation.
Recent developments in the investigation involved Kavitha's questioning regarding WhatsApp conversations recovered from the phone of co-accused Buchi Babu. Additionally, she was interrogated regarding documents related to a land transaction, wherein an alleged sum of ₹100 crore was purportedly paid to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as kickbacks to influence the excise policy in favor of a liquor lobby.
The CBI disclosed to the Special Court on April 13 that Kavitha had purportedly "threatened" Aurobindo Pharma promoter Sharath Chandra Reddy to pay ₹25 crore to the AAP in exchange for five retail zones allocated to his company under Delhi's new excise policy. According to the CBI's allegations, Kavitha warned Reddy that failing to comply with the payment demand to the AAP government in Delhi would negatively impact his business interests in Telangana and Delhi.
Kavitha's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took place at her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15.
