Excise scam: Court issues notice to CBI on BRS leader Kavitha's bail plea

A city court on Monday issued notice to the CBI on BRS leader K Kavitha's bail application in a corruption case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam.

Special judge for CBI and ED cases Kaveri Baweja, who sent Kavitha to judicial custody till April 23, directed the federal agency to file its reply to the application by April 22.

The CBI had arrested the Telengana MLC and daughter of former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao from Tihar Jail, where she was lodged after her arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case stemming from the alleged scam. The CBI is probing alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the AAP government's excise policy, while the ED is investigating the money laundering aspect.

In her bail application in the corruption case, Kavitha said she was a "star campaigner" for her party in the general elections. She sought an interim bail while her regular bail application was pending.

She alleged that the "ruling party in the Centre is using investigative agencies to publicly connect the petitioner to the Delhi Excise Policy so that further coercive actions can be taken against her".

"The Investigating Agencies are well aware that there is no substance in the allegation of the Petitioner's involvement in the alleged scam. The intention behind the purported investigation against the Petitioner is not to ascertain her involvement in the alleged scam, since it is painfully clear that none exists. The political masterminds are well aware that if the petitioner can be connected to the alleged scam, it will bring her, and by logical implication, her father, the erstwhile chief minister of Telangana, into disrepute," the application said.

Earlier in the day, the agency produced Kavitha before the court on expiry of her three-day CBI remand and requested it to send her to judicial custody, saying she was not required for further custodial interrogation.

The CBI told the court that Kavitha has not given satisfactory replies to the questions it asked her about the case.

"She also did not divulge true facts and gave evasive replies to most of the questions asked to her. Her replies were contrary to oral and documentary evidences gathered by the CBI during the investigation. She was not disclosing the facts truthfully, despite being confronted with the evidence and also concealing the facts, which are exclusively in her knowledge," the CBI told the court.
 

"Her further custodial interrogation is not required at this stage. As already submitted...she is deliberately and intentionally evading the just and relevant questions related to the case. She, being a prominent politician, is a very influential person, as such, there are credible reasons to believe that she may influence the witnesses and the potential witnesses, who are yet to be examined, tamper with the evidence to be further collected and may hamper the ongoing investigation," the CBI told the court.

It said the investigation is at a very crucial stage and added some important witnesses are yet to be examined and documents and digital evidence collected.

"It is, therefore, most respectfully prayed that this court may kindly be pleased to remand Kavitha for 14 days in judicial custody in the interest of the investigation and justice," the CBI told the court.

Kavitha's counsel Nitesh Rana opposed the CBI's plea, saying its allegations cannot form the ground for sending her to judicial custody.

CBI officials had recently questioned Kavitha inside the prison after obtaining the court's permission.

The ED had arrested Kavitha (46) from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15.

Kavitha's bail application in the money laundering case is also pending before the court.