Rouse Avenue Court accepts Kavitha’s bail bonds, issues order for release

New Delhi: A court here on Tuesday accepted the bail bonds furnished on behalf of BRS leader K. Kavitha, who has been ordered to be released on bail by the Supreme Court in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

Thereafter, the Rouse Avenue Court issued an order to release Kavitha from Tihar Jail.

Earlier in the day, the top court allowed bail pleas of Kavitha in the CBI as well as the ED case.

A bench, headed over by Justice B.R. Gavai, directed Kavitha to 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,” it ordered.

The bench, also comprising Justice K.V. Viswanathan, clarified that it made no observations on merits while releasing Kavitha on bail and such observations will not prejudice the conduct of trial.

The Supreme Court, on August 12, agreed to examine Kavitha’s pleas and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file their reply. At that stage, it had declined to pass any interim relief without hearing the side of investigative agencies.

Kavitha, the daughter of BRS chief and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, was denied bail by the Delhi High Court on July 1. A bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma said that the material collected in the course of the investigation revealed that she was one of the chief conspirators in the entire conspiracy relating to the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped new excise policy. Kavitha had petitioned the Delhi High Court after a special court on May 6 turned down her regular bail pleas. She was first arrested by the ED from her Hyderabad home on March 15 and brought to Delhi. She was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 11 when she was in Tihar Jail.

IANS