Kalvakuntla Kavitha, a member of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and MLC, will be questioned for the second time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Delhi on March 16th in relation to the Delhi liquor policy scam. Kavitha was previously questioned for nearly nine hours on March 11th. She faces serious allegations and is expected to be questioned by Arun Ramachandra Pillai and Gorantla Buchi Babu.
Pillai had previously given a statement to the ED but has since sought permission from the Rouse Avenue District Court in Delhi to withdraw it. Thursday’s questioning is significant as it is expected to provide more information about the operations of the entire ‘South Group’. The ED is looking to uncover details about how officials and other stakeholders were managed, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The agency’s technical team has already retrieved chat data from Kavitha’s WhatsApp and Signal with Pillai and her former auditor Buchi Babu.
The ED is seeking to establish Kavitha’s role and the money trail involved in the bribe paid to AAP leaders, as well as the source of the money. They have collected various articles of material evidence that demonstrate how money was moved through the hawala route from Hyderabad to Delhi, with Kavitha suspected to have played a role. Buchi Babu, who worked for Kavitha, managed the movement of money through several channels into Indo Spirit and other companies where they secured licenses in several important zones. The ED is expected to question Kavitha about the benami transactions that occurred with Indo Spirit by Pillai.
BRS workers are anxious about Kavitha’s fate, with the party cadres gathering in large numbers near the ED’s office to lend moral support to her during her first round of questioning. If there are any indications of arrest, BRS leaders are prepared to fly to Delhi immediately to show their solidarity with Kavitha. ED sources have stated that they are still connecting the dots in the investigation and that there is no possibility of arresting Kavitha at this time.
The depositions of Pillai and the other accused in the case are expected to play a crucial role in determining the next steps in the investigation. The ED hopes to shed more light on the operations of the entire ‘South Group’ and the role played by Kavitha in the Delhi liquor policy scam.
