BRS Leader K Kavitha Arrested by ED in Connection with the Delhi Excise Policy Case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested BRS leader K Kavitha from Hyderabad following a day long raid at her premises in connection to the alleged Delhi liquor scam.  

K Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was apprehended from her residence in Banjara Hills and has been taken to Delhi for questioning by the central probe agency.

The arrest comes after a series of raids and questioning sessions conducted last year and this year. BRS leader and former Telangana minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy denounced the arrest, alleging it was pre-planned. Party members, including working president K T Rama Rao and former minister Harish Rao, gathered at Kavitha's residence to protest and they raised slogans. 

According to the Enforcement Directorate, K Kavitha is linked to a group of liquor traders known as the "South Group," which sought to influence the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The central agency alleges that kickbacks amounting to at least Rs 100 crore were received by certain individuals, including AAP leaders, on behalf of the "South Group." Kavitha has denied all charges and alleged that such allegations are politically motivated. 

The ED's investigation stems from allegations that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 favored certain liquor traders and allowed cartelization. The AAP government has also denied these allegations, and the policy was eventually scrapped. Following recommendations from the Delhi lieutenant governor, both the CBI and the ED initiated probes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).