The Supreme Court today granted conditional bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam on Tuesday. This case also implicates Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy, Manish Sisodia. Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March, followed by a CBI arrest a month later.
A two-judge bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan said that Kavitha had already spent over five months in jail, and that “the trial is not expected soon”, even if the prosecution claimed its investigation is over.
Earlier this month, Manish Sisodia was granted bail in the case. The former deputy chief minister of Delhi was arrested in February last year and released after the Supreme Court said he could not be jailed for an “unlimited time” as it is a violation of his fundamental rights.
The Supreme Court also criticised the Delhi High Court’s rejection of Kavitha’s bail plea in July, noting that the law provides for special consideration of women in bail applications. During the hearing, the bench pressed the ED and CBI to present evidence proving Kavitha’s involvement in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the investigating agencies, accused Kavitha of tampering with evidence by formatting her mobile phones. However, Kavitha’s lawyer dismissed the claim as “bogus.”
On August 12, the Supreme Court had instructed the agencies to respond to Kavitha’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s denial of bail. The High Court had dismissed her bail requests, saying that she appeared to be a key conspirator in the alleged crime.
The investigating agencies have accused Kavitha of being part of the so-called South Group, which allegedly paid Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to the Aam Aadmi Party in exchange for favourable treatment in the policy’s development and execution.
Kavitha’s lawyer, however, countered that while allegations of Rs 100 crore payment exist, no recovery has been made.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whom the agencies consider the mastermind behind the scam, has been in jail since March 21.
