Siddhipet: Bharat Rastra Samiti (BRS) leaders on Thursday staged protests in several parts of Telangana over the arrest of party legislator K Kavitha by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.
The leaders held a protest at Siddhipet's old bus stand. However, police detained the protestors. Local BRS MLAs Rajashekar Reddy and Laxma Reddy held a protest in Hyderabad at Uppal Radhika X Roads and Malkajgiri X Roads with their followers.
BRS leaders were heard chanting the slogan "ED Modi ek hai." Police on the spot detained them and shifted them to the local police station. Meanwhile, K Kavitha who was arrested from her residence in Bajara Hills Hyderabad on Friday was produced before Rouse Avenue Court in the national capital on Saturday.
The MLC and the daughter of BRS founder and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was arrested after a day-long questioning followed by a raid at her Hyderabad residence on Friday. Appearing before Rouse Avenue Court, Kavitha told reporters that "it is an illegal arrest."
The action comes almost two months after the ED issued a summons to the 45-year-old BRS leader. She was questioned thrice in this case last year, with the central agency recording her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In the arrest order, the ED investigation officer said, "I believe that Smt. Kalvakuntla Kavitha w/o Mr. D R Anil Kumar, residing at H. No. 8-2316/S/H, Road No 14, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telengana-500034 has been guilty of an offence punishable under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003)."
"Now, therefore, in the exercise of the power conferred upon me under sub-section (1) of section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (915 of 2003), I hereby arrest the said Smt. Kalvakuntla Kavitha at 05.20 pm on 15.03.2024 and she has been informed of grounds for arrest. A copy of the grounds of arrest (containing 14 pages) have been served upon her," the officer added.
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