Telangana MLC and incarcerated Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha has taken her case to the Supreme Court, challenging her apprehension by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged money laundering episode linked to the defunct Delhi liquor policy scandal.
In her plea filed before the Supreme Court, K Kavitha seeks an interpretation of Article 21 in conjunction with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). She contests not only her purported illegal detention but also disputes the legitimacy of her custody.
The petition, filed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI), requests an expedited hearing, although a date for the same is yet to be determined.
"The remand order does not adhere to Article 141, which stipulates that the law pronounced by the Supreme Court shall be binding on all courts within the territory of India," the plea asserts.
Moreover, K Kavitha challenges Section 19(1) of the PMLA in her submission before the apex court.
Meanwhile, another bench of the Supreme Court has granted permission to withdraw K Kavitha's plea contesting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summonses related to the Delhi Excise Policy case.
Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal have allowed Kavitha the liberty to pursue appropriate legal recourse as per the law.
During the brief hearing, Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhri, representing Kavitha, indicated that the petition had become moot and requested it to be addressed accordingly. He asserted, "I have been apprehended, and I will undertake suitable legal actions."
In her initial plea, Kavitha sought directions from the Supreme Court to prevent the ED from summoning her under Section 50 of the PMLA.
Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council and daughter of former state Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was taken into custody by the federal anti-money laundering agency from her residence in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, on March 15.
Subsequently, the 46-year-old politician was remanded in Enforcement Directorate custody until March 23 in connection with the case.
The investigative agency alleges that Kavitha was involved with the liquor cartel 'South Group,' which purportedly disbursed kickbacks amounting to Rs 100 crore to Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in exchange for favorable treatment under the now-defunct excise policy for 2021-22.
