K. Kavitha came out of Tihar Jail after five months, became emotional after hugging her son and husband

Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) leader K Kavitha walked out of Tihar Jail on Tuesday night after five months after the Supreme Court granted her bail in the Delhi liquor scam case. The case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). As she left the jail premises, BRS activists and supporters celebrated her release by playing drums and bursting crackers. Kavitha’s brother and BRS working president KT Rama Rao arrived outside Tihar Jail to receive her.

An emotional Kavitha was seen hugging her son and husband outside the jail. Speaking to media persons present outside the jail, Kavitha said, ‘I want to thank you all. Today I got emotional after meeting my son, brother and husband after almost 5 months. Only politics is responsible for this situation. The country knows that I was put in jail only because of politics, I did not do any mistake. We are fighters, we will fight this battle legally and politically. They (Central Government) have only made the team of BRS and KCR unbreakable.’

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan of the apex court ordered the immediate release of K. Kavitha with strict conditions. Kavitha was released after furnishing a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh each in both the CBI and ED cases. The Supreme Court released her on the conditions of depositing her passport in the trial court, appearing regularly in the trial proceedings, not tampering with evidence and not influencing witnesses.
Granted bail.

Also read: ‘Just because the woman is educated…’, what did the Supreme Court say on K Kavitha’s bail

During the hearing, the Supreme Court questioned the evidence presented by the CBI and ED against Kavita. The bench said that the investigation has been completed and the chargesheet has been filed, making the continued custody of the accused unnecessary. The court further said that the custody of an undertrial prisoner should not be made a form of punishment, especially when the conclusion of the trial is unlikely in the near future.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing K. Kavitha, argued that the investigating agencies have already completed their investigation against her. He drew parallels with the Supreme Court’s decision to grant bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, co-accused with Kavitha in the case. However, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the investigating agencies, alleged that Kavitha had destroyed or formatted her mobile phone, claiming that this amounted to tampering with evidence.

Also read: Delhi liquor scam: K Kavitha gets bail, will it be Arvind Kejriwal’s turn now?

The Supreme Court also commented on the earlier decision of the Delhi High Court to deny bail to K. Kavitha. The apex court termed the Delhi High Court’s comment as ‘objectionable’ and ordered its cancellation, which said that the accused (K. Kavitha) cannot be granted bail only because she is an educated and independent woman. Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, was arrested by the ED from Hyderabad on March 15 this year. Then the CBI arrested her in Tihar Jail on April 11. The Delhi High Court had rejected her bail plea citing Kavitha’s alleged involvement as the key conspirator in the formulation and implementation of the now-canceled Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.