The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday regarding the bail plea filed by K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed the ED to respond to Kavitha’s bail plea and scheduled the hearing for May 24.
Kavitha’s bail application was turned down by a special court on May 6, prompting her to approach the High Court.
Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 in Hyderabad over allegations of involvement in a money laundering case related to the purported Delhi excise scam.
On April 11, the CBI also arrested Kavitha.
The case against her and others linked to the Delhi excise scam dates back to 2022, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a First Information Report (FIR) alleging that the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021-22 was manipulated to facilitate monopolization and cartelization of wholesale and retail liquor trade in Delhi.
According to the CBI and ED, certain individuals or groups from South India benefited from the scheme, and a portion of their profits was reportedly channeled to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Goa assembly election campaign.
The case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Meanwhile, the ED is separately investigating allegations of money laundering in the case.
Earlier, the trial court had also denied interim bail to Kavitha in the ED case.
The bail plea has been filed through advocates Deepak Nagar and Mohith Rao, with Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari and advocate Nitesh Rana arguing the case.
