Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha to judicial custody till April 23 in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the court today that she did not cooperate with its investigation and "deliberately gave evasive replies contrary to the evidence on record".
K Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was produced before the court as her three-day custody expired today.
The CBI did not seek an extension of her police custody and sought 14-day judicial custody instead.
In its application, the probe agency said the BRS leader had been examined and questioned during her police remand.
According to the CBI, K Kavitha could not provide a proper explanation for the transfer of Rs 14 crore from the company of P Sarath Chandra Reddy, an approver in the liquor policy case, in the guise of a land deal.
She also could not give clarifications about her meetings with Vijay Nair, an accused in the case, and YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasula Reddy.
The BRS leader also did not respond properly when questioned about accused Butchibabu Gorantla transferring her money.
She also wasn't clear about other facts related to the criminal conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of the now scrapped liquor policy.
While stating that further custodial interrogation is not required at this stage, the CBI also submitted that K Kavitha, being a prominent politician, is a very influential person.
It also said that there were credible reasons to believe that she may influence witnesses and potential witnesses, who are yet to be examined, tamper with evidence yet to be further collected and might also obstruct the ongoing investigation.
However, the arrested BRS leader's lawyer Nitesh Rana opposed the CBI’s submission and said that an accused is not required to answer the way an investigating agency wants.
On April 12, the CBI had claimed before Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court that K Kavitha's role in the conspiracy to collect a Rs 100 crore kickback from a liquor baron was revealed during the probe.
The investigating agency alleged that a businessman from the south met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his office seeking his support and the latter told him that K Kavitha will contact him.
Kavitha, who is already in Tihar Jail after her arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the liquor policy case, was arrested by the CBI on April 11.
She was arrested by the ED from her residence in Hyderabad on March 15 on money laundering charges in the case.
