Delhi Excise policy case: Will file response to K Kavitha's bail plea by Aug 22, ED tells SC

The Enforcement Directorate ED on Tuesday told the Supreme Court it will file its response to BRS leader K Kavithas bail plea in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam by August 22Additional Solicitor General ASG S V Raju appearing for the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI told a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan that the CBIs counter affidavit has already been filed Raju said the EDs counter affidavit was in the pipeline and would be filed by August 22While posting the matter for hearing on August 27 the bench said a rejoinder if any should be filed by August 23The apex court had on August 12 sought responses from the CBI and the ED on Kavithas pleas challenging the Delhi High Courts July 1 verdict denying her bail in the two casesDuring the hearing on Tuesday the bench said We would hear and decide both the matters together We dont understand the propriety of filing counters hellip in the high court only case diary and everything is placed and orders are passed on the basis of papers the bench observedSenior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Kavitha said she was a coaccused in the matter in which the apex court recently granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party AAP leader Manish SisodiaShe is the only woman accused in the two cases The investigation is complete in CBI and ED cases Prosecution Complaint has been filed charge sheet has been filed he said A prosecution complaint is the EDs version of a charge sheetHe said the rigours of section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act which stipulates twin conditions for bail does not apply in Kavithas caseThe judge of the high court has given elaborate reasons as to why section 45 would apply the bench observedAccording to Section 45 of the PMLA bail can be granted to an accused in a money laundering case only if the twin conditions there should be prima facie satisfaction that the accused has not committed the offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail are satisfiedThe high court had dismissed Kavithas bail pleas in both cases saying she was prima facie one of the main conspirators in the criminal conspiracy related to the formulation and implementation of the nowscrapped Delhi Excise Policy 202122The two central probe agencies have lodged separate cases pertaining to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and implementing the policyThe ED arrested Kavitha 46 from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15 The CBI arrested her on April 11 from Tihar jail in connection with the corruption caseKavitha has denied all allegationsWhile dismissing her bail pleas the high court had said no case for grant of regular bail was made for now as the investigation is at a crucial stageIt had rejected her plea for relief on the grounds of being a woman saying as a welleducated person and a former MP she cannot be equated to a vulnerable female and the court cannot lose sight of the serious allegations against herIn the high court Kavitha had challenged the May 6 order of a trial court which had dismissed her bail applications in the CBIs corruption case as well as the EDs money laundering caseThe Bharat Rashtra Samithi BRS leader daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao had told the high court she had nothing to do with the excise policy and there was a criminal conspiracy against her orchestrated by the ruling party at the Centre with the active connivance of the EDThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever