The Supreme Court has tagged BRS leader K Kavitha’s petition with other similar pleas seeking protection from arrest and challenging the summons by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam. The court has scheduled the hearing of these petitions, including Kavitha’s, in three weeks. Additionally, senior advocate Kapil Sibal informed the bench that a similar plea filed by Nalini Chidambaram, the wife of Congress leader P Chidambaram, is pending on a similar issue of summoning of women accused by the Enforcement Directorate.
According to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, a judgement was passed by a three-judge bench upholding the provisions of the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act, which covers the provisions for summoning an accused, after Nalini Chidambaram’s petition was filed. The Supreme Court bench decided to hear all the petitions together, including Kavitha’s plea seeking protection from arrest and challenging the summons issued by the ED, and scheduled the matter for a hearing after three weeks. The bench allowed Mr Mehta to file a detailed note on the issue. The ED had arrested Mr Pillai, who accused the ED of forging his statements, earlier.
The agency alleged that Mr Pillai “represented the south group”, which is linked to Kavitha and others and paid kickbacks of around ₹100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party to gain a larger share of the market in the national capital under the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2020-21. The ED further claimed that the “south group” comprised Sarath Reddy, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Raghav Magunta, Kavitha, and others. The agency also alleged in Mr Pillai’s remand papers that he “represented the benami investments” of Kavitha, who has also been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the case.
