Delhi Court Extends Judicial Custody of Manish Sisodia & K Kavitha till July 25

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia and BRS leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha until July 25 in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended their custody after they were produced before the court through video conference on the expiry of their judicial custody granted earlier.

On March 15, Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kavitha from her residence in Banjara Hills, Telangana.

Kavitha, an MLC and daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, stands accused of being a pivotal member of the “South Group,” which purportedly paid the ruling AAP in Delhi kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in exchange for a significant portion of liquor licenses in the national capital. Apart from facing charges from the ED, she is also embroiled in a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation concerning the alleged scam.

On the other hand, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have accused Sisodia of involvement in irregularities during the modification of the Delhi Excise Policy, alleging undue favors to license holders, waiver or reduction of license fees, and extension of licenses without proper authorization.

The agencies further allege that the beneficiaries diverted illicit gains to the accused officials and falsified entries in their financial records to avoid detection. Sisodia was apprehended by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, in connection with the “scam,” while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the former deputy chief minister on March 9, 2023, in a money laundering case linked to the CBI FIR.

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