Delhi excise case: SC adjourns Kavitha bail hearing for a week
The Supreme Court adjourned the bail plea hearing of BRS leader K Kavitha by a week, with the next session set for August 27, following ED's request for more time.
New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned by a week its hearing of a bail plea filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with alleged irregularities in the promulgation of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
A bench headed by justice BR Gavai posted the matter on August 27 after ED sought additional time to file its response to Kavitha’s plea, even as the CBI filed its reply in the matter on Monday.
Earlier, the top court had refused to consider her prayer for interim bail till it heard both CBI and ED in the matter.
Additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for both federal agencies, said, “The CBI affidavit has already been filed while the ED affidavit is in the pipeline. We are requesting for a week to file the counter affidavit.”
The bench, also comprising justice KV Viswanathan said, “We do not understand this tendency of filing long counter affidavits. In the high court, just the case diary is produced and matter decided.”
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Kavitha, said, “She is a co-accused in the same case with former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia who was recently granted bail. Also, she is the only woman accused. She is entitled to the exception from the rigours of bail under Section 45 of PMLA being a lady.”
However, the bench observed that “the high court has given elaborate reasons why you are not entitled to that relief”, and posted the matter for hearing next week.
The BRS leader approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi high court on July 1 refused her bail in both the ED and CBI cases.
Kavitha, who is named as an accused along with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, among others, is accused of being part of a conspiracy in the formulation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy to benefit private liquor retailers. She was arrested by ED in March, and later CBI also took her into custody.