hyderabad: Telangana Jagruthi president Kalvakuntla Kavitha has claimed that the costs leveled in opposition to her within the Delhi excise coverage case are “politically motivated” and a “revenge” in opposition to the opposition events.
Aside from Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) stalwarts Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, Kavitha was among the many complete 23 accused within the high-profile case launched by a particular courtroom on Friday.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities found in 2022 in granting liquor licenses to people and corporations in Delhi by the then Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP authorities.
“We now have stated 100 occasions that we have now nothing to do with this incident. This can be a politically motivated incident. As a part of political vendetta, this incident was foisted on the opposition,” Kavitha advised the media outdoors his social gathering workplace on Friday.
She additionally thanked legislation enforcement authorities for “breaking by the online of lies” and clearing her title from the case. Surrounded by her husband and eldest son, Kavitha expressed her gratitude to her dad and mom, household, social gathering officers and supporters.
Nonetheless, she kept away from mentioning her brother KTRAma Rao (also called KTR), the present president of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), and her cousin T. Harish Rao, a former minister within the BRS authorities in Telangana.
In September 2025, Kavitha’s father and BRS supremo Okay. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) suspended her for anti-party actions. The transfer got here after the social gathering management accused Kavitha of accusing Harish Rao and her group of harming the social gathering’s pursuits. Earlier than her suspension, she had not directly focused her brother KTR over rifts inside BRS.
“Principally, this was revenge in opposition to KCR and it was directed at Kavitha. Who’s chargeable for the time I misplaced with my youngsters? Who’s chargeable for the time I spent with my household?” She stated on Friday that the incident was a “redirection of anger”.
The previous BRS chief, who spent 5 months in jail, was amongst a number of influential folks from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana named within the alleged rip-off. She was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March 2024, forward of the overall elections in Could of the identical 12 months, beneath the provisions of the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA).
Kavitha’s title additionally got here up in a case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for her alleged involvement in the identical rip-off.
KTR’s tweets about X after the courtroom’s ruling level to this declare. He stated the “political sufferer” in that story was the BRS in each parliamentary and parliamentary elections.
“Kavitha Gul obtained justice as we speak in courtroom. Equally, all of the circumstances registered in opposition to the leaders of our nation will probably be conclusively uncovered as false, politically motivated fabrications,” he posted on X.
The names of Kavitha and different outstanding politicians from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are stated to be a part of the so-called ‘southern group’, whose members are stated to be Hyderabad-based businessmen Abhishek Boinpalli and Arun Ramchandra Pillai, YSRCP chief Mgunta Raghav and chartered accountant Butchbabu Gorantla.
P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, director of Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., was additionally accused of controlling a liquor retail zone in Delhi by a proxy company. He later grew to become an approver within the case and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) relied closely on his statements in submitting the chargesheet.
The ‘South Group’ allegedly paid Rs 100 million in kickbacks to AAP president Vijay Nair to offer preferential remedy to members of the group as a part of the Delhi authorities’s liquor coverage.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigated the position of Kavitha and others who allegedly created and transferred funds for AAP’s election expenditure in Goa and Punjab. The ED’s extra chargesheet additionally names Kavitha’s husband Devanapalli Anil Kumar, accusing him of buying land at low-cost costs utilizing illicit funds.
Whereas an eerie silence persists amongst senior leaders of the Folks’s Celebration, Congress and BRS, different political reactions have swung from questioning the credibility of the CBI to questioning whether or not the acquittal makes Kavitha the actual winner of the battle inside her household, particularly her brother and cousins.
The BJP common secretary admitted to ThePrint that the trial courtroom’s verdict will come as a blow to Kavitha.
“There’s each risk that she might emerge as a brand new drive. The failure of the CBI and ED to provide a prima facie case definitely factors to a political vendetta and the judgment has given her permission to assault the BJP because the opposition’s statements have come true,” a BJP official advised ThePrint. “This can additional strengthen the Congress’ place within the state and will certainly put BRS in a troublesome spot.”
Equally, the Congress common secretary didn’t rule out an impression on Friday’s impending elections.
“What in regards to the overwhelming proof submitted by authorities businesses? Has the CBI ignored the Delhi authorities’s procedural compliance in issuing liquor licenses since this shortcoming was first identified? Regardless of the consequence within the excessive courtroom, the impression of this judgment will probably be felt in Delhi, Telangana and all of the states going to polls within the coming months,” a Congress employee stated.
(Edited by Tony Lai)
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