If the reports coming from New Delhi are to be believed, Bharat Rashtra Samithi legislative council member Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of BRS president and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, may have to be in jail at least for another six months.
Indications to this effect were given when a Delhi court on Monday denied interim bail to Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case.
Unless Aam Admi Party president and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is convicted in the case, Kavitha might not come out of jail, say sources.
Special Judge (PC Act) Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Courts pronounced the order after having reserved it on April 4.
Kavitha was arrested on March 15 evening from Hyderabad, hours after an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team searched the premises and interrogated her.
She is presently in judicial custody in Tihar Jail. A day later, she was remanded to ED custody.
She is among one of the most high-profile politicians to be arrested by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case.
The ED has claimed Kavitha was linked to a "South Group" lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role under the excise policy.
It alleged that one of the accused in the case, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from the "South Group", allegedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, K Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.
Kavitha has claimed that she is innocent and counter-alleged that the Central government was misusing the ED to gain ground in Telangana.
On March 22, the Supreme Court denied any urgent relief to her, saying she would have to approach the trial court for bail. On March 26, she was sent to judicial remand until April 9.
Meanwhile, she filed the present plea for interim bail.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kavitha, highlighted the proviso to Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) which allows court to release woman-accused on bail notwithstanding the rigorous bail conditions under PMLA.
He argued that the son of the accused is giving exams and would need his mother for emotional support. He also pointed out that Kavitha's husband is already fighting the legal battle in Delhi.
Advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the ED said that the exception to women under the proviso to Section 45 of PMLA is meant for women who lack agency.
Hossain also said how Kavitha was one of the main accused in the case. He also claimed that Kavitha destroyed evidence against her including evidence on her mobile phone.
He also claimed that ED is the verge of a breakthrough in the probe and granting interim bail to Kavitha will derail the investigation.
In this regard, Hossain also alleged that the accused had already attempted to influence witnesses.
