Delhi court seeks Tihar officials' reply on BRS leader Kavitha's plea alleging no home-cooked food, medicines given

New Delhi: A Delhi court has sought a response from Tihar Jail authorities on a plea by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC, K. Kavitha alleging that despite previous orders, she wasn't provided with home-cooked food, a mattress, and medicines, or allowed to wear jewellery, among other things.

Special Judge Kaweri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court had on Tuesday sent Kavitha, the daughter of BRS President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, to judicial custody till April 9 on expiry of her Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Last week, the court had allowed Kavitha to have home-cooked food, and on Tuesday, the Jail Superintendent was directed to permit her to have home-cooked food, books, pen and paper, medicines, clothes, slippers, a mattress, bed sheets, and allow her to wear jewellery.

Kavitha has said that it is necessary for her health that she be allowed home-cooked food and provided mattresses. She alleged that none of the articles was provided or allowed to be carried by her, not even her spectacles and prayer beads, to the jail.

"In complete defiance of the order dated March 26, none of the articles as directed by the court were provided or allowed to be carried by the applicant (Kavitha),” the application said.

Now, the judge has sought a response from the jail authorities and is set to hear the matter on Saturday.

The ED, while seeking her judicial custody, said that it is still further investigating the role of Kavitha in the case and is unearthing the further proceeds of crime (PoC) and identifying the other persons who are involved or connected with the process or activities related to PoC.

The ED had arrested Kavitha on March 15 after searches at her residence in Hyderabad.

Special Counsel for ED Zoheb Hossain had argued that Kavitha conspired with other people and was actively involved in the payment of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore. He had claimed that she was involved in establishing the money laundering ecosystem i.e. M/s Indo Spirits through her proxy, which generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 192.8 crore.