Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the Delhi liquor policy case on Tuesday, reported Live Law.
Kavitha has been in custody since March 15. She is the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
The court on Tuesday reprimanded the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate for their selective approach in investigating the case.
The court noted that while the agencies’ investigations against Kavitha have been completed, the trial against her was not likely to conclude any time soon. It ruled that the agencies no longer needed to interrogate her in custody.
On August 9, Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the same case. He had been in jail for nearly 17 months.
On August 12, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate on Kavitha’s petitions seeking bail in cases of alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
Citing its judgement in the Manish Sisodia case, the court on Tuesday said that bail and not jail is the rule in most criminal cases, especially when there is a delay in trial. A person’s custody cannot turn into punishment, the court said.
Kavitha is alleged to be a part of a so-called South Group that paid Rs 100 crore to Aam Aadmi Party leaders in exchange for favours related to the policy through businessman Vijay Nair.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations of corruption in the Delhi liquor policy case, while the Enforcement Directorate is investigating money-laundering allegations linked to the same matter.
The two central agencies have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy by increasing the commission for wholesalers from 5% to 12%. This allegedly facilitated the receipt of bribes from wholesalers who had a substantial market share and turnover.
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