The Supreme Court declined to grant bail to BRS leader K Kavitha, who was arrested by the ED for her involvement in the Delhi excise policy scam case. Instead, the court instructed her to approach the trial court, stating that this is the standard procedure that cannot be bypassed. The court issued a notice to the ED, seeking its response within six weeks regarding Kavitha's challenge to the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The court clarified that Kavitha's plea challenging the provisions will be considered along with other pending matters.
During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Kavitha, raised concerns about people being arrested based on an approver's statement. However, the bench stated that it would not delve into the merits of the case at the moment. Kavitha, who is a member of the Telangana Legislative Council and the daughter of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was remanded in ED custody until March 23 in connection with the case.
The 46-year-old was arrested from her residence in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, by the federal anti-money laundering agency. In a recent plea, Kavitha requested the quashing and setting aside of all actions taken by the ED leading to her arrest. She argued that these actions were illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional, violating the undertaking provided before the court and contravening Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, especially concerning a woman.
