New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned K Kavitha, the former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter and BRS legislator, for questioning in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case on Monday, news agency PTI reported.
According to the report, Kavitha has been asked to appear before the CBI's investigation team at its headquarters in New Delhi. Her statement was previously recorded by the agency in December 2022 at her residence in Hyderabad.
The Enforcement Directorate has made allegations in the case, asserting that Vijay Nair, one of the accused, received kickbacks amounting to at least Rs 100 crore from a group known as the South Group, which is purportedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha, and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, on behalf of leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), PTI reported.
The CBI, which has filed three chargesheets so far naming several accused, including former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, has alleged that kickbacks ranging from Rs 90-100 crore were paid to certain politicians of the ruling AAP in Delhi and other public officials by individuals in the liquor industry from South India through co-accused Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, and Dinesh Arora.
The agency further alleged that these kickbacks were subsequently reimbursed to them from the profit margins of wholesalers holding L-1 licenses through various means, such as the issuance of excessive credit notes, bank transfers, and outstanding amounts left in the accounts of the controlled companies, by certain conspirators from the "South lobby", PTI reported.
The CBI claimed that a cartel was established among three components of the policy — liquor manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers — by breaching provisions and the spirit of the policy. It is alleged that all the conspirators actively participated in achieving the illegal objectives of this criminal conspiracy.
As a result, significant losses were incurred by the exchequer, while undue financial benefits were gained by public officials and other accused individuals involved in the conspiracy, according to the CBI's allegations.