Delhi Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday sent Bharat Rashtriya Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha to 14-day judicial custody in the Delhi excise policy scam case. Kavitha was produced before the court on the conclusion of her custody remand. While entering the courtroom, the BRS MLC said this is not a money laundering case but a political laundering case. She said it is a fabricated and a false case. She said she was confident that they would come out clean out of this.

Special judge Kaveri Baweja passed the order after the Enforcement Directorate did not seek an extension of her custodial interrogation. During the proceedings, Kavitha’s advocate Nitesh Rana sought interim bail on the grounds of her minor son’s exam.

The counsel for the Enforcement Directorate countered the bail, saying even if interim bailis to be considered, then opportunity must be given for filing a reply. The ED underlined that for both interim and regular bail there were stringent provisions under the provisions of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The court will hear her interim bail plea of April 1. Kavitha’s counsel also sought permission for physically inspecting the documents submitted by the agency in a sealed cover under provisions 19(2) of the PMLA. According to the provision, the authorities concerned, immediately after making an arrest were required to forward the arrest order along with the material in its possession to the court.  

The Enforcement Directorate told the court that during her remand period, ED recorded the BRS leader’s statement, interrogated her and confronted her with several individuals and digital records. The ED has alleged that Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was key member of the South Group that has been accused of paying the Aam Aadmi Party kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital.

Punjab Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Somnath Bharti were among the AAP leaders arrested by Delhi Police on Tuesday as they gathered at the Patel Chowk to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Bains said many of the AAP Leaders including Manish Sisodia, Satyendre Jain and Sanjay Singh have also been arrested in a fake case. He said they are protesting against this illegal arrest.

They raised slogans of Inquilab Zindabad and Kejriwal Zindabad. Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers reached the area’s metro station in groups, with the party calling for a march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg for a gherao.

The Aam Aadmi Party called for a gherao of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Tuesday to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi Police has increased the security at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg and some AAP leaders and workers were also detained.

 A traffic police officer said traffic is likely to be affected in parts of New Delhi and Central Delhi due to the proposed gherao. Diversions have been placed at several points. A Delhi police officer said strict security arrangements have been made and layers of security has been installed in order to maintain law and order in the area. He said Section 144 has already been imposed around the Prime Ministers’ residence and nobody will be allowed to protest.

The traffic police has issued an advisory that the traffic in central Delhi will be affected and parking of vehicles will not be allowed on Tughlaq Road, Safdarjung Road and Kemal Ataturk Marg. General entry will not be allowed and vehicles found parked on the above roads shall be towed away and prosecuted for improper parking and disobedience of lawful instructions.

Punjab BJP state president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday stated that the party would contest the Lok Sabha election alone and would not form alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Last week, reports said the SAD and the BJP may form a pre-poll pact if both parties reach a consensus on seat-sharing in the state.

Taking to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Sunil Jakhar said that the decision was taken based on the opinion of the people and party workers in the state, keeping in mind the welfare of farmers and businessmen. Notably, the elections for 13 seats in Punjab will be held on June 1.

While the BJP is facing protests from farmers in the state, who have been demanding legal MSP for their agricultural produce, state president Sunil Jakhar said that every grain was purchased at MSP and the money had reached the accounts of the farmers within weeks.

The Punjab BJP chief added that the Kartarpur corridor, for which people have been requesting for decades, was also made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi because of the blessings of Waheguru.

Reportedly, the Kartarpur Corridor facilitates visa-free darshan of the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, which is just across the border in Pakistan. In Ardas, the Sikh prayer, a prayer is made for khulle (open) darshan of the gurdwaras from which the followers of Sikhism have been separated from.

The Shiromani Akali Dal was one of the oldest allies of the BJP. Nonetheless, the SAD severed ties with the NDA in September 2020 over the now repealed farm laws that witnessed widespread protests in northern India.

In the previous Lok Sabha election, SAD and the BJP contested together, but were unable to achieve desired results. The Congress bagged eight seats and the remaining five were won by the BJP (2), SAD (2) and the Aam Aadmi Party.