A Delhi Court denied interim bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the excise policy linked-money laundering case on Monday. Rouse Avenue Court’s special judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the order which had been reserved on April 4.
Earlier, Kavitha had sought interim bail on the grounds that her 16-year-old son has exams. She had claimed that he needs his mother’s “moral and emotional support”.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kavitha, had claimed that the perspective of a mother is not substitutable by father, sister or brother. Singhvi pointed at Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) which allows bail to woman-accused notwithstanding the bail conditions under PMLA, Bar and Bench reported.
In his submissions before the court, the senior advocate also said, “The child is not a toddler. He is 16 years old but the issue here is of emotional support of the mother. Think of the shock of the arrest of mother on child.”
Singhvi cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lectures on pressure on children during exams. He also took note that the BRS MLC’s husband is already undertaking a legal battle in the national capital.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate’s counsel, Zoheb Hossain opposed Singhvi’s argument and said that the PMLA provision was for those women lacked agency, adding that Kavitha however, is a “leading politician of the state”.
“The lady in question is one of the prime movers of giving bribes. She is also a beneficiary through her proxies. This is not based only on statements but based on documents and WhatsApp chats. This is all corroborated,” Hossain was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.
He noted that the federal agency was about to come across a breakthrough in its probe and granting interim bail to the BRS leader will disrupt the investigation.
About Kavitha’s son exams, the ED’s counsel said that seven of the 12 exams are already over, adding that “he is not alone. He has a father and an elder brother. The young man is not alone.”
The BRS leader was arrested by the central probe agency on March 15. She has been accused of being a key member of the “South Group”, which allegedly paid the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licenses in the national capital.
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