K Kavitha Leaves Tihar Jail, Asserts BRS Team's Strength and Innocence

Hours after the Supreme Court granted her bail in Delhi excise policy cases, BRS leader K Kavitha walked out of Tihar Jail late Tuesday evening. She received a warm welcome from her party members and vowed to fight back to prove her innocence.

A visibly emotional Kavitha reunited with her husband, children, and brother, BRS working president K T Rama Rao. BRS workers and supporters celebrated outside the jail with drum beats and fireworks. Party MLAs, MPs, and former ministers from Telangana were also present.

The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Kavitha from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15. The CBI later arrested her from Tihar jail on April 11. She has been accused of being part of the South Group, a cartel of businessmen and politicians, which allegedly paid kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to Delhi's ruling AAP in return for liquor licences. She has denied all allegations.

Political Motivation Alleged

Kavitha addressed party workers and supporters outside the prison, stating that the entire country knows she has done nothing wrong. "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," she said.

Later addressing the media at the BRS party office, Kavitha said, "I will return it with interest to those who put me and my family through this ordeal. Our time will come." She insisted on her innocence and claimed her arrest was politically motivated.

Supreme Court's Decision

While granting bail on Tuesday, an apex court bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan noted that Kavitha had been in custody for around five months. The probe against her by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was complete in these cases.

The court allowed Kavitha's appeals against the July 1 verdict of the Delhi High Court which had denied her bail in the two cases. While quashing the high court verdict, the apex court said Kavitha shall not make any attempt to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses and shall deposit her passport with the trial judge.

Family Support

Kavitha acknowledged the personal toll of her incarceration, stating, "Being separated from my family and children for five-and-a-half months as a mother was particularly trying." She emphasised that unjustly imprisoning her had only strengthened the BRS party and KCR's resolve.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) founder and Kavitha's father K Chandrashekar Rao, popularly called KCR, had alleged that she was arrested due to BJP's vendetta. "Thank You Supreme Court. Relieved. Justice prevailed," K T Rama Rao said on X after his sister was granted bail.

Criticism of Investigating Agencies

The two federal agencies faced sharp criticism over their fairness in dealing with the matter. The apex court observed: "Sorry to see this state of affairs." It questioned their discretion by asking, "You will pick and choose anyone?" referring to one of the witnesses whose statements were read out during arguments.

The prosecution has to be fair. "You can't pick and choose anyone. What is this fairness? A person who incriminates himself has been made a witness," the bench said, adding, "Tomorrow you will pick up anyone as you choose and leave anyone as you choose as an accused? Very fair and reasonable discretion!"

When Additional Solicitor General S V Raju referred to some witnesses who claimed Kavitha's involvement in the alleged scam, the court warned him about pulling it into details. "We will have to observe about the fairness and impartiality of the investigating agencies," it said.

BRS leaders distributed sweets at the party's headquarters in Hyderabad following Kavitha's release. She is scheduled to leave for Hyderabad on Wednesday afternoon.

Kavitha reiterated her determination to fight both legally and politically. "Only because of politics, I was put behind bars. I made no mistake. I will fight and prove I'm innocent," she told reporters.