Kavitha gets bail in Delhi Liquor Scam after 166 DaysTop Stories

August 27, 2024 14:45
Kavitha gets bail in Delhi Liquor Scam after 166 Days

(Image source from: x.com/ani_digital)

The Supreme Court granted bail to K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi party, in the money laundering and corruption cases related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. During the hearing, the bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan questioned the fairness of the prosecution agencies (CBI/ED) and criticized their selective approach in treating some accused as approvers. The court warned the Additional Solicitor General that it would make such observations in the order if he continued to oppose the bail. After arguing for nearly an hour, the Additional Solicitor General refrained from making further submissions and even indicated that he would concede to bail after taking instructions. However, the bench proceeded to dictate the order, noting that the investigation is complete, and the chargesheet/prosecution complaint has been filed in both the CBI and ED cases. Therefore, the court determined that the custodial interrogation of the petitioner, who has been in jail for over five months, is no longer necessary.

The court acknowledged that the documentary evidence in the case is extensive, spanning nearly 50,000 pages. It reiterated that the detention of an accused before trial should not be used as a form of punishment. The court stated that the law allows for special consideration to be given to women when it comes to bail, as outlined in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The court criticized the Delhi High Court's previous stance, which had suggested that this provision does not apply to women of high status. Ultimately, the court granted Kavitha bail in both cases, requiring her to furnish bonds of Rs 10 lakhs each. Additionally, the court ordered her to deposit her passport and not attempt to influence or intimidate the sureties. Kavitha had been in custody since her arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on March 15. The Central Bureau of Investigation had also arrested her while she was in judicial custody in the Enforcement Directorate case. Kavitha's lawyer, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, highlighted that Manish Sisodia, a co-accused in the case, had been granted bail, and that the investigative agencies had filed their respective charge sheets and prosecution complaints.

She has been in custody for five months in one case and four months in another case. There are a total of 493 witnesses and around 50,000 pages of documents. Rohatgi said the trial is unlikely to finish soon. He also stated that she is a former Member of Parliament and a current Member of the Legislative Council, so there is no possibility of her escaping justice and fleeing.

If you enjoyed this Post, Sign up for Newsletter

(And get daily dose of political, entertainment news straight to your inbox)

Rate This Article
(0 votes)