Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Kavitha sent to 3-day CBI custody
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha has been sent to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for three days. The agency arrested her from Tihar jail on Thursday in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. On Friday, the CBI told a Delhi court that she threatened businessman Sarath Reddy, another accused, if he did not pay money for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s alleged kickbacks.
CBI presents evidence against Kavitha in court
The CBI then sought five days of custody of Kavitha, presenting evidence such as witness statements, WhatsApp chats, and financial documents. Before her arrest by the CBI, Kavitha was under the judicial custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the same case. According to the ED, Kavitha was a key member of the "South Group," which allegedly bribed the Aam AAP with ₹100 crore in exchange for liquor licenses under the now-scrapped policy.
She didn't provide satisfactory replies during questioning: CBI
The CBI had also questioned her in Tihar Jail last Saturday, but she didn't provide satisfactory replies. "Kavitha was required to be arrested... to conduct her custodial interrogation (by) confronting her with the evidence and witnesses, to unearth the larger conspiracy hatched by the accused/suspects regarding formulation and implementation of the excise policy," the agency said. The CBI also said it needed Kavitha's custody to "establish the trail of ill-gotten money and to establish the role of other accused/suspects."
Delhi chief minister tagged as 'key conspirator'
Besides Kavitha, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia have been arrested in the case. Both Sisodia and Kejriwal are lodged in Tihar Jail, while Sanjay Singh was let out of jail after six months last week. Singh had been in custody since October 2023, after his arrest by the ED in the same case.