The Rouse Avenue Court was informed on Monday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that BRS Leader K Kavitha, during custody, did not cooperate with the investigation and deliberately gave evasive replies contrary to the evidence on record.
“In the light of aforesaid facts and circumstances, her further custodial interrogation is not required at this stage. As already submitted in the foregoing paras she is deliberately and intentionally evading the just and relevant questions related to the case,” said the CBI.
The CBI further stated that during the confrontation, she could not give a proper explanation for the transfer of Rs 14 crore from the company of Sharath Chandra Reddy in the guise of a land deal, her meetings with the accused Vijay Nair, her meeting with Magunta Sreenivasalu Reddy, the transfer of money to her by the accused Butchibabu Gorantla and other facts related to the criminal conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
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, may tamper with the evidence to be further collected and may hamper the ongoing investigation.
Further investigation is going on and the same is at a very crucial stage. Some crucial witnesses are yet to be examined and documents and digital evidence are yet to be collected, according to the CBI.
The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Monday sent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha to judicial custody until April 23, in connection with the excise policy case.
The Special Judge Kaveri Baweja sent K Kavitha to judicial custody until April 23, 2024, after noting that the CBI did not want her custodial remand in the matter.
Kavitha was produced physically before the court at the end of her three-day remand to CBI granted by the court on the last date of the hearing.
The BRS leader was arrested by the CBI last week. She was arrested by CBI while in judicial custody in the ED case.
Advocate Nitesh Rana, along with Deepak Nagar and Mohit Rao, appeared for the K Kavitha in the matter.
Earlier, the CBI remand application stated that “Kavitha Kalvakuntla was required to be arrested in the instant case to conduct her custodial interrogation for confronting her with the evidence and witnesses to unearth the larger conspiracy hatched among the accused and suspect persons regarding the formulation and implementation of the Excise Policy, as well as to establish the money trail of ill-gotten money generated and to establish the role of other accused/suspect persons, including public servants, as well as to unearth the facts which are in her exclusive knowledge.”
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested the Telangana Legislative Council MLA on March 15 this year in the case of the alleged liquor policy scam.
The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary’s report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.
The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval.
The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies said.
As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the earnest money deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules.
Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, the probe agency said and there was an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer.
