Former CBI Joint Director reacts on Delhi Liquor Scam

Hyderabad: Responding to the Delhi Liquor Scam which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the former Joint Director of CBI VV Lakshminarayana shared his opinion during an interview. During the interview, JD Lakshminarayana said that the CBI will issue notices under 41A if the name was on FIR and will give notices under 160 CrPC if the name was not on FIR.

He added that CBI issued 160 CrPC notices to Kavitha. Lakshminarayana said that CBI will issue 160 CrPC notices to a person if they feel he knows something about the case and the agencies can question the person.

It is to mention here that the daughter of TRS chief and Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and MLC K Kavitha on Monday wrote to the Central Bureau of Investigation, pointing out that she had gone through the Delhi liquor scam complaint copy and FIR on the CBI website, and that her name was not mentioned in the FIR, in the list of the accused and not in the complaint as well.

Writing to CBI DIG Raghavendra Vatsa, Kavitha also mentioned that due to prior commitments, she would not be able to meet them on December 6 as proposed earlier and suggested a meeting at a later date.

Stating that she was a law-abiding citizen and assuring to cooperate with the investigation, she said she would be able to meet the CBI officials at her residence in Hyderabad on December 11, 12, 14 or 15 and requested them to confirm the date at the earliest.

It is to mention here that Kavitha has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking copies of the complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the FIR registered in the Delhi liquor policy case.

A day after receiving a notice from the CBI seeking clarifications in the case, the MLC of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) sent a letter to the CBI on Saturday.

"The requested documents may be provided at the earliest to enable me to acquaint myself and answer appropriately within a reasonable period of time. Date of our meeting can be fixed at Hyderabad after the receipt of the documents," she stated in the letter to Ashok Kumar Shahi, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CBI, ACB, New Delhi.

Kavitha had confirmed on Friday that she has been issued a notice by the CBI under Section 160 of CrPC, seeking her clarification.

"I have informed the authorities that I can meet them at my residence in Hyderabad on December 6 as per their request," Kavita had said in a statement.

The CBI, in its notice, had mentioned that the case was registered on the basis of written complaint received from Praveen Kumar Rai, Director, Ministry of Home Affairs, against the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, and 14 others regarding the allegations pertaining to the excise policy of Delhi for 2021-22.

"During the course of investigation, certain facts have emerged which you may be acquainted with, hence your examination of such facts is required in the interest of the investigation," read the CBI notice.

On November 30, Kavitha's name had surfaced in the remand report filed by the ED in a Delhi court seeking the remand of businessman Amit Arora in the Delhi liquor policy case.

According to the remand report, businessman Vijay Nair, who has already been arrested in the case, received kickbacks of Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from a group called the 'South Group'.

As per the report, the group is controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.

Sarath Reddy, one of the directors of pharma major Aurobindo Pharma, has already been arrested.

Srinivasulu Reddy is a Member of Parliament belonging to Andhra Pradesh's ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

Meanwhile on Saturday, Kavitha met the Chief Minister and her father Chandrasekhar Rao.

Kavitha drove to Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of the Chief Minister. They are believed to have discussed the strategy to counter what they believe is political vendetta by the BJP government at the Centre which is targeting them using Central agencies.