K Kavitha ‘Threatened’ Pharma Firm Boss To Pay Rs 25 Crore To AAP: CBI To Court

New Delhi:

The CBI has instructed a particular courtroom right here that BRS chief K Kavitha allegedly “threatened” Aurobindo Pharma promoter Sharath Chandra Reddy to pay an quantity of Rs 25 crore to the AAP for the 5 retail zones allotted to his agency below the Delhi authorities’s excise coverage.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Ms Kavitha had instructed Mr Reddy that in case he doesn’t pay the quantity to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) within the nationwide capital, his enterprise can be harmed in Telangana and Delhi.

Mr Reddy, who was an accused in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged liquor rip-off in Delhi, had turned an approver within the case that’s being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The CBI is but to file a charge-sheet in opposition to him.

Seeking the BRS chief’s custodial interrogation, the CBI instructed Special Judge Kaveri Baweja that it was on the “insistence and assurance” of Ms Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, that Mr Reddy obtained concerned within the liquor enterprise in Delhi.

Ms Kavitha had allegedly assured Mr Reddy that she had contacts within the Delhi authorities and that she would assist him within the liquor enterprise within the nationwide capital below the now-scrapped excise coverage.

“Kavitha further told Sharath Chandra Reddy that the payments of upfront money of Rs 25 crore for wholesale business and Rs 5 crore for each retail zone were to be made to the Aam Aadmi Party for getting liquor business and the same was to be paid to her associates, Arun R Pillai and Abhishek Boinpally, who would in turn coordinate with Vijay Nair, who was a representative of (Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal,” the CBI instructed the courtroom on Friday.

The courtroom has despatched Ms Kavitha to the CBI’s custody until April 15.

According to the company, in March and May 2021, when the excise coverage was being formulated, Pillai, Boinpally and Butchibabu Gorantla stayed on the Hotel Oberoi in Delhi to swing the coverage of their favour via Nair by inserting provisions.

After receiving the peace of mind of assist from Ms Kavitha, Aurobindo Reality and Infrastructure Private Limited paid Rs 80 lakh to her NGO, Telangana Jagruthi, below Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in March 2021, the CBI has alleged.

“The investigation has further revealed that in June-July 2021, K Kavitha had compelled Sharath Chandra Reddy to enter into a sale agreement with her for an agricultural land situated at Mahboob Nagar, Telangana, although he was not keen to purchase the said agricultural land and also not aware of the value of the said land,” it has mentioned.

Ms Kavitha “insisted” that Mr Reddy pay Rs 14 crore in opposition to the land and “forced” him to enter into the sale settlement via Mahira Ventures Private Limited, one of many Aurobindo Group firms, in July 2021, the CBI has instructed the courtroom, citing Mr Reddy’s assertion and its investigation to this point.

It mentioned the whole fee of Rs 14 crore was made to Ms Kavitha via financial institution transactions — Rs 7 crore in July 2021 and one other Rs 7 crore in mid-November 2021.

The company has alleged that in November and December of 2021, Ms Kavitha requested Mr Reddy to pay Rs 25 crore (Rs 5 crore per zone for the 5 retail zones allotted to him).

The BRS chief had claimed that she herself had paid Rs 100 crore as upfront cash on Mr Reddy’s behalf to the AAP via Nair for getting beneficial provisions within the excise coverage.

“However, when Sarath Chandra Reddy showed his reluctance to pay the demanded money, K Kavitha threatened Sarath Chandra Reddy to harm his business in Telangana and Delhi under the excise policy,” the company has alleged, citing Reddy’s assertion.

The AAP alleged on March 24 that Mr Reddy’s firm had given Rs 59.5 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) via electoral bonds.

“The companies owned by Sarath Reddy bought electoral bonds and donated money to the BJP. Now, this money trail has been exposed in front of the country. Mr Reddy purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 4.5 crore while the excise policy was being formulated and after his arrest, he purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 55 crore and the money went to the BJP. So the money trail that has been sought for the past two years is here,” Delhi minister Atishi had alleged.
 

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