Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha, currently detained in Tihar Jail in connection with the Excise Policy case, has been admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital following a deterioration in her health.
On April 11, Kavitha was arrested by the CBI in the Delhi Excise Policy case, after being initially detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15.
On July 12, the Rouse Avenue court adjourned the hearing on Kavitha’s plea for default bail in the Delhi Excise Policy case.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 22.
The plea argued that default bail should be granted as the CBI failed to file a complete charge sheet within the mandatory 60-day period. The application also sought interim bail during the pendency of the current bail request.
Kavitha’s previous regular bail applications had been dismissed by both the trial court and the High Court. The CBI filed a charge sheet against her on June 6, which is pending for cognizance as of July 15.
The Rouse Avenue Court extended Kavitha’s judicial custody until July 18, with her being produced via video conferencing from Tihar Jail. Her counsel opposed the extension of judicial custody.
The ED and CBI have alleged that irregularities occurred in modifying the excise policy, including undue favors to license holders, waiver or reduction of license fees, and extension of the L-1 license without proper approval. The agencies also claim that illegal gains were diverted to the accused officials, who made false entries in their accounts to avoid detection.
Allegedly, the Excise Department refunded approximately Rs 30 crore in earnest money to a successful tenderer against set rules and allowed a waiver on tendered license fees from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, resulting in an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer.
