NEW DELHI: The Rouse Avenue court on Saturday remanded BRS leader K Kavitha in seven-day ED custody for her alleged involvement in the Delhi liquor policy case. Special judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) MK Nagpal directed that Kavitha would remain in the ED custody till March 23. The ED sought 10-day custody.Kavitha, 46, was produced by the ED in the courtroom in the presence of heavy security. Kavitha termed her arrest illegal. “We will fight it (case) in the court,” she said.Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary appearing for Kavitha argued that her arrest was a blatant abuse of power that violated an effective stay on her arrest, at least until March 19, when the Supreme Court is due to hear her plea. Chaudhary said the Additional Solicitor General had verbally assured the court that Kavitha would not be arrested until March 19. “Look at the way she was arrested. This is completely illegal,” he said, questioning how she was arrested. Hours after the SC hearing, the ED entered her house under the garb of searches. The intimation of her arrest was given at 5:20 pm, Chaudhary said.ED’s lawyer Zoheb Hossain, however, said, “The statement was that we will issue her summons after 10 days.” Hossain said that there was no particular order on coercive action by the ED against Kavitha.ED: Kavitha part of South GroupED claimed that K Kavitha was linked to a ‘South Group’ lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role under the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. ED alleged that one of the accused, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks of Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from ‘South Group’.
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