K Kavitha of Bharat Rashtra Samithi quizzed by ED in Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case

K Kavitha News: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, who is daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was quizzed for more than 10 hours by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday. Kavitha was quizzed in connection with a Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. According to officials, she has been called again on March 21.

Kavitha, dressed in a green saree, reached the ED headquarters in the national capital at around 10:30 am today for a second round of questioning in the case. Reports said that the recording of the statement began around 11 am.

Kavitha left the agency's office around 9:15 pm flashing a victory symbol as her SUV waded through waiting journalists and police personnel on duty.

The 44-year-old MLC was first questioned in the case on March 11 for around nine hours following which she was summoned again on March 16.

Kavitha had skipped the deposition last week citing her pending plea before the Supreme Court for relief against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action in the case.

The federal probe agency rejected her claims and asked her to depose on March 20. The apex court has decided to hear her petition on March 24.

On March 11, Kavitha is understood to have been confronted with the statements made by Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandran Pillai, an arrested accused in the case who allegedly shares close ties with her, apart from those of few others involved in the case.

The BRS leader's statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Kavitha is expected to have been physically confronted with Pillai and the statements of her former auditor Butchibabu Gorantla during Monday's session.

The BRS politician has asserted that she had done nothing wrong and alleged that the BJP-led Centre was "using" the ED as the saffron party could not gain a "backdoor entry" into Telangana.
Pillai, the ED had said, "represented the South Group", an alleged liquor cartel linked to Kavitha and others, that paid kickbacks amounting to about Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to gain a larger share of the market in the national capital under the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2020-21.
 
With PTI Inputs