The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed strong displeasure regarding comments made by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy concerning the court's decision to grant bail to BRS leader K. Kavitha in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
The Chief Minister had suggested that the court's actions were influenced by consultations with political parties. In response, the apex court sharply questioned, "Do we pass orders after consultations with political parties?".
On Reddy's statement about a "deal" between the BJP and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for securing bail for Kavitha, SC said such commennt might create apprehensions in the minds of people.
"Have you read in the newspaper what he said? Just read what he has stated. What sort of statement is this by a responsible chief minister. That might rightly create apprehension in the minds of people. Is this a kind of statement which should be made by a chief minister? A constitutional functionary is speaking in this manner.
"Why should they drag court in political rivalry? Do we pass orders after consultations with political parties? We are not bothered by politicians or if anybody criticises our orders. We do our duty as per conscience and oath," a three-judge bench headed by Justice B R Gavai told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Reddy.
Kavitha was granted bail after five months, whereas Manish Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, spent 15 months in jail before receiving bail. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has not yet been granted relief, Reddy said during media interaction.
"It’s a fact that the BRS supported the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There are also rumors suggesting that Kavitha's bail was secured due to an arrangement between the BRS and the BJP," he claimed.
The Supreme Court granted her bail in the alleged 'excise policy case' filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). She walked out of Tihar jail on Tuesday after the court's order.
The top court also imposed various conditions against Kavitha, including not tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses in the matter. The top court directed her to furnish a bail bond of ₹10 lakh each in both CBI and ED cases.
The top court also directed her to surrender her passport. The top court noted that Kavitha is behind bars for five months and the trial will take a long time to complete as there are 493 witnesses and many documents. The SC noted that the reliance is on the statements of the co-accused, who have been granted pardon and made an approver.
The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval.
