Case Against K Kavitha: A R Pillai Turns Hostile
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2023-03-11 07:37:38
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Even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questions K Kavitha, Bharat Rashtriya Samiti leader and daughter of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in Delhi today, the case against her, built on the alleged confession of Hyderabad businessman A R Pillai, might collapse if Pillai retracts his alleged 'confession' which he has said in a plea before a Delhi court was obtained "under duress".
Pillai is reported to have said in his alleged confession that he represented Kavitha's allegedly benami investments in Indospirits, a firm which got an L1 licence in Delhi, allegedly through Kavitha's influence. He is accused of receiving kickbacks, allegedly on behalf of Kavitha, in the deal, part of which may have been allegedly routed back to associates of Manish Sisodia.
Since there are too many allegations in the entire case and not much proof as of now (with no indication of a money trail being established by the investigating agencies), what happens if the Delhi court allows Pillai's plea and he retracts his confession? The agencies will have to tie up the many loose ends in the case and establish the money trail to nail the accused and this seems to be a difficult task given the fact the repeated questioning of Manish Sisodia, by both the CBI and the ED, has yielded little in terms of proof.
Investigating agencies in India have a dubious record in closing corruption cases and apart from Lalu Prasad (who has been convicted in fodder scam cases) very few frontline politicians have been convicted of the alleged crimes they were charged for. It is for this reason that agencies have to work diligently, move fast and show a greater inclination in collecting evidence and establishing the case. Otherwise they will lose further credibility.
