SC seek responses from CBI, ED on BRS leader K Kavitha's bail pleas

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the CBI and ED on BRS leader K Kavithas pleas seeking bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scamA bench of justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan agreed to hear Kavithas pleas challenging the Delhi High Courts July 1 verdict denying her bail in these casesSenior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Kavitha told the bench that she has been in custody for around five months and the charge sheet and prosecution complaint has been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI and the Enforcement Directorate ED respectivelyA prosecution complaint is the EDs equivalent of a charge sheetRohatgi said there were around 500 witnesses in both these casesContending that she was entitled to bail Rohatgi referred to the apex courts verdict and order passed on the pleas filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party AAP leader Manish SisodiaThe top court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged scam Sisodia was granted bail in both the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scamRohatgi said Kavithas case was covered by these orders of the top courtWe will issue notice the bench saidMay I pray for interim bail Rohatgi saidThe bench observed Not without hearing them CBI and EDThe bench then issued notices to the CBI and the ED seeking their responses on Kavithas pleas and posted the matter for hearing on August 20The high court had on July 1 dismissed Kavithas bail pleas in both cases saying she was prima facie one of the main conspirators in the criminal conspiracy related to the formation and implementation of the nowscrapped Delhi Excise Policy 202122The CBI and the ED have lodged separate cases about alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and implementation of the policyThe ED arrested Kavitha 46 from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15 The CBI arrested her on April 11 in connection with the corruption case linked to the alleged scamKavitha has denied the allegationsWhile dismissing her bail pleas the high court had said no case for grant of regular bail was made for now as the investigation is at a crucial stageIt had rejected her plea for relief on the grounds of being a woman saying as a welleducated person and a former MP she cannot be equated to a vulnerable female and the court cannot lose sight of the serious allegations against herThis court is of the opinion that K Kavitha was prima facie one of the main conspirators in the criminal conspiracy hatched about formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 202122 the high court had saidIn the high court Kavitha had challenged the May 6 order of a trial court that dismissed her bail applications in the CBIs corruption case and the EDs moneylaundering caseBefore the high court in the ED case the Bharat Rashtra Samithi BRS leader daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao had said she had nothing to do with the excise policy There was a criminal conspiracy against her orchestrated by the ruling party at the Centre with the active connivance of the EDThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever