BRS leader K Kavitha walks out from Tihar Jail after 5 months, vows to continue fight

KT Rama Rao and K Kavitha embrace after she walks out of Tihar jail/ PTI

BRS leader K Kavitha stepped out of Tihar Jail on Tuesday evening after over five months in custody, after a Supreme Court order to give her bail in connection with corruption and money laundering accusations stemming from the purported Delhi excise policy scandal. K Kavitha, 46, was received warmly by her party members after her release, who celebrated by dancing, playing drums, and setting off fireworks. Addressing her followers outside the prison, Kavitha stated that the BRS and KCR teams, commanded by her father K Chandrashekar Rao, were "unbreakable", reported PTI.

"We will fight and prove ourselves innocent ...we were always tough. We are fighters. We will fight it out legally. We will fight it out politically. By sending us to jail illegally, they have only made the BRS and KCR team unbreakable," Kavitha said after she walked out of prison.

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According to the PTI report, Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 from her Hyderabad home and by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 11 from Tihar Jail. She was accused of being a member of the "South Group," a network of politicians and businessmen claimed to have paid Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to Delhi's ruling AAP in exchange for liquor licenses, which she denies.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao, Kavitha's brother, attended her release and later expressed his relief on social media, thanking the Supreme Court for upholding justice. BRS members in Hyderabad also celebrated by handing out sweets at the party headquarters. "Thank You Supreme Court. Relieved. Justice prevailed," K T Rama Rao said in his post on X (formerly Twitter).

In its conclusion, the Supreme Court questioned the fairness and discretion of the CBI and ED's investigations. The bench, which included Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan, noted that Kavitha had been in jail for about five months and that the probe was complete. The court ordered Kavitha to forfeit her passport, not tamper with evidence or influence witnesses, and to attend trial court sessions on a regular basis.

The court expressed concerns about the investigative agencies' techniques, implying that they lacked fairness and impartiality. The bench cautioned that if the agencies continued to press for more reasons against Kavitha, they would be forced to address these matters.