Excise policy case: Delhi court reserves order on ED’s plea seeking K. Kavitha’s custody

New Delhi, March 14: A Delhi court on Saturday reserved its order on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) plea seeking Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha's custody in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. The court is likely to pronounce the order later on Saturday.

The federal agency, arrested Kavitha, the daughter of BRS President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, on Friday after conducting searches at her residence in Hyderabad. She was produced before Special Judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court here on Saturday.

Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary appeared in the court for the accused, while the ED was represented by special counsel Zoheb Hossain.

Chaudhary accused the ED of flouting the Supreme Court’s order of September 2023 and termed Kavitha's arrest as a blatant abuse of power and authority.

In response, the ED counsel said that it hasn't made any statement in any court, including the Supreme Court, that no coercive action will be taken against Kavitha. There is enough evidence and witness statements against the arrested legislator in the matter, the agency maintained.

The ED also accused the BRS leader of destroying evidence and said that it has summoned her husband, Anil Kumar, and house help on March 18 for the extraction of digital data.

“We are also summoning two other persons who gave statements against her for confronting her,” the ED said.

The judge will likely pronounce the order by 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Kavitha did not appeared before the agency since October last year despite summons. She had also approached the Supreme Court, challenging the summoning of a woman by the ED to its office.