Excise policy ‘scam’: BRS leader Kavitha moves Supreme Court against arrest in money-laundering case

PTI

New Delhi, March 18

BRS leader K Kavitha has moved the Supreme Court, challenging her arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

A member of the Telangana Legislative Council and daughter of former state chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Kavitha was on Saturday remanded in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till March 23 in the case.

The 46-year-old was arrested by the federal anti-money-laundering agency from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on Friday amid protests by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supporters.

In a fresh plea filed through advocate Nitesh Rana, Kavitha said, "Quash and set aside the entire action taken by the respondent (ED) leading to the arrest of the petitioner as the same is wholly illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional, contrary to the undertaking tendered before this court and also being violative of the postulates of Section 19 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 especially qua a woman."

The BRS leader has sought the quashing of the arrest memo, the arrest order dated March 15 and the remand order dated March 16 passed by a special judge in a "patently routine and mechanical manner".

Earlier, in another petition filed in the top court, she challenged the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

On February 28, the top court had extended the protection granted to Kavitha from any coercive action in the case.

The ED had issued summons to the leader on February 21, seeking her presence on February 26. However, Kavitha did not appear before the central probe agency.

The ED has alleged that Kavitha was a part of liquor cartel 'South Group' which paid kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in return for favours under the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. 

#Enforcement Directorate #Supreme Court #Telangana