Ashish Ranjan
K Kavitha skips ED summons: K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, avoided the third round of ED summons in the Delhi Excise Policy case today, one day after the Supreme Court agreed to hear her petition against the Enforcement Directorate.According to reports, her legal counsel will present the pertinent documents to the agency in Delhi today.
Kavitha was last questioned by the investigation agency on March 11, and she was summoned by the agency for the third time today. However, she had petitioned the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing, arguing that a woman cannot be summoned for questioning before the ED in the office, and that her questioning should take place at her residence, as per the agency’s rules.
The attorney for Kavitha stated that the ED is now summoning a woman for interrogation, which is “completely illegal.”Wednesday, a bench composed of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha consented to hear the case on March 24 but denied her request for interim relief.
According to ANI sources, Kavitha was to sit face-to-face with Arun Ramchandra Pillai, a businessman from Hyderabad who was detained on Monday night in connection with the liquor policy case.The MLC referred to the summonses as “intimidation tactics” by the Centre against Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the BRS, adding that the party will continue to fight and expose the Centre’s failings and will advocate for a brighter, better future for India.
Ravula Sridhar Reddy, a leader of the BRS, referred to the summons as “politically motivated” and stated that, with the exception of the ED and the BJP, nobody understands the case registered in relation to the now-retracted New Delhi excise policy.According to ANI, the policy was formulated by the Delhi government to maximise revenue generation, eliminate the sale of counterfeit or non-duty-paid liquor in Delhi, and improve the user experience.
Notably, the ED has arrested former deputy mayor of Delhi Manish Sisodia in the same case. On March 21, his parole request in the CBI case will be heard.Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding the same matter in December of last year.
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The CBI had lodged a case alleging corruption in the excise policy for 2021-22. The AAP government subsequently abandoned the excise policy. Sisodia was one of fifteen individuals charged in a FIR lodged by the CBI.
