Kavitha to face ED today

Hyderabad: Once again, Monday is likely to witness a high drama in Delhi as the Enforcement Directorate had served a notice on BRS MLC K Kavitha to appear before it for questioning. The BRS leaders feel that their party and its leader were being harassed for political reasons. They claim that the probe agency was not following the rules and was insisting that Kavitha appear in person though there is a provision in law that a woman should be questioned at home.

Legal experts, however, say that this rule applies only to CrPC and that is why the CBI had gone to her house. The ED, they say, has the status of Civil Court and hence one has to appear it in person. That is why even former AICC president Sonia Gandhi had appeared before the ED. In the meantime, Kavitha accompanied by her brother and IT Minister KT Rama Rao and MP J Santosh Kumar, reached Delhi on Sunday evening. They would be holding consultations with their legal team. According to available information Kavitha would appear before the ED on Monday. Some leaders, however, felt that the BRS leader may skip appearing before the ED this time as well.

It may be recalled that she was to appear before the ED on March 16. She skipped it and sent her advocate on the grounds that she was not appearing in person since the notice did not specifically say so. She also wanted the questioning to be differed till her plea before the Supreme Court was heard on March 24. But the ED served a fresh notice in which it specifically mentioned that she should appear in person on Monday. Hence, it is being said that she will appear before the ED.  The ED custody of Ramachandra Pillai who is alleged to be her front man will end on Monday afternoon. The ED is likely to seek further extension of his custody so that they can take up confrontation interrogation of Kavitha along with Manish Sisodia and Pillai.