A court in Delhi on Tuesday accepted the bail bonds furnished on behalf of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha, who had been granted bail by the Supreme Court in connection with the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Following the acceptance of the bail bonds, the Rouse Avenue Court issued an order for Kavitha’s release from Tihar Jail.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Kavitha in both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases. A bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai directed that Kavitha be released on bail in both cases, provided she furnishes bail bonds of ₹10 lakh each. The court also stipulated that she must regularly attend the trial proceedings and cooperate with the expeditious disposal of the trial.
“The appellant is directed to be forthwith released on bail in both (CBI and ED) cases on furnishing bail bond of Rs 10 lakh each. She shall not make any attempt to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses. The appellant shall deposit her passport with the trial court,” the Supreme Court ordered.
The bench, which also included Justice K.V. Viswanathan, emphasized that it made no observations on the merits of the case while granting bail to Kavitha, and that these observations should not prejudice the conduct of the trial.
The Supreme Court had agreed on August 12 to examine Kavitha’s bail pleas and had requested responses from the CBI and ED. At that time, the court declined to provide any interim relief without first hearing from the investigative agencies.
Kavitha, who is the daughter of BRS chief and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, had been denied bail by the Delhi High Court on July 1. A bench led by Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma found that the evidence collected during the investigation indicated that Kavitha was one of the main conspirators involved in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped new excise policy. Kavitha had approached the Delhi High Court after a special court denied her regular bail on May 6.
Kavitha was initially arrested by the ED at her Hyderabad residence on March 15 and subsequently brought to Delhi. She was later arrested by the CBI on April 11 while she was still in Tihar Jail.
With the acceptance of her bail bonds and the subsequent order for her release, Kavitha is now expected to continue her legal battle outside of custody while the trial proceedings move forward.
