The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made significant allegations against BRS leader K Kavitha, accusing her of conspiring with top Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to gain advantages in the now-defunct Delhi excise policy. Kavitha, the 46-year-old daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested by the federal agency from her Hyderabad residence and is currently in ED custody until March 23.
According to the ED’s findings, Kavitha and others allegedly collaborated with AAP leaders to influence the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy in exchange for a payment of ₹100 crore to the political party. The agency claims that this scheme involved generating illegal funds through kickbacks from wholesalers for the AAP.
The ED’s statement asserts that Kavitha and her associates were involved in “corruption and conspiracy” to generate profits from this illicit arrangement. The agency described Kavitha as a key conspirator and beneficiary of the Delhi excise policy scam, seeking her remand from the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
Kavitha has denied any wrongdoing, accusing the Centre of using the ED for political purposes. The AAP, in response, has accused the BJP of using investigative agencies like the ED and CBI to target political opponents.
Since the initiation of the case in 2022, the ED has conducted searches at 245 locations nationwide, leading to 15 arrests, including former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP leader Sanjay Singh. The agency has filed six charge sheets and attached assets worth over ₹128 crore in connection with the case.
The Delhi excise policy under scrutiny allegedly facilitated cartelisation and favored certain liquor dealers through bribes, a claim contested by the AAP. Following the policy’s cancellation, a CBI probe was recommended, and the ED subsequently registered a case under the PMLA.
Sources By Agencies
