BRS leader Kavita did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday for a fresh round of questioning in her money-laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy, officials said. The 45-year-old daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is understood to have informed the investigating officer through an email about her decision not to comply with the ED summons.
Her lawyer Nitish Rana told PTI on Monday that “there is a Supreme Court order which says that the ED cannot summon Kavita in this case.”
However, ED sources have said that the BRS leader had got temporary relief from the apex court last year and it is no longer valid.
The federal agency can issue them a fresh summons. Sources said that ED will soon take a decision in this regard.
Kavita K or Kavita Kalvakuntla was questioned thrice last year in connection with the case and the ED had recorded her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC has in the past said he has done nothing wrong and accused the BJP-led Center of “using” the ED as the saffron party seeks to gain “backdoor entry” into Telangana. Could do.
The ED has recently issued the fourth summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the case. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has been asked to appear before the agency on January 18.
The last time Kavitha appeared before the ED, she was understood to have been confronted with the statements of Arun Ramachandran Pillai, a Hyderabad-based businessman and an accused in the case, who allegedly had close relations with her, besides a few others. Other people involved in the case.
The ED had said Pillai represented the alleged liquor cartel South Group linked to Kavitha and others, which had paid bribes of around Rs 100 crore to AAP to gain a majority stake in the retail liquor market in the national capital. Delhi Excise Policy now canceled for 2020-21.
According to the ED, the “South Group” includes Sarath Reddy (former promoter of Aurobindo Pharma), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (YSR Congress MP from Ongole Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh), his son Raghava Magunta, Kavitha and others.
The ED has also alleged in Pillai’s remand papers that he “represented benami investments” of Kavitha in the case.
Kavita was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case. The ED case of money laundering was registered taking cognizance of the CBI FIR.
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