The Supreme Court declined to grant bail to BRS leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Friday. Kavitha, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi excise policy scam case, had her bail plea rejected by a bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela M Trivedi.
The bench directed Kavitha to seek relief from the trial court, stating that this is the established practice the court follows and cannot deviate from. Regarding Kavitha’s challenge against the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the bench also issued a notice to the ED, giving them six weeks to respond.
The bench informed senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Kavitha, that the petition challenging the provisions will be considered along with the pending matters. Initially, Sibal raised concerns, stating that individuals are being apprehended based on an approver’s statement. However, the bench clarified that it is not delving into the merits of the case at this juncture.
Kavitha has approached the apex court to challenging her arrest by the federal agency in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. A member of the Telangana Legislative Council and the daughter of former state chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Kavitha was detained on March 15 and has been under the custody of the ED until March 23 in relation to the case.
