ED tells SC it will not summon BRS leader Kavitha in Delhi excise policy case till Nov 20
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the probe agency will not summon BRS leader K Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case till the court hears her plea on November 20.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, "Don't call her in the meantime."
Raju assured the bench that Kavitha will not be called for questioning till November 20.
The bench posted Kavitha's plea, in which she has challenged the summons issued by the agency on November 20, and said in matters where interim orders of protection are issued will be extended.
On September 15, the ED had told the apex court that the summons issued to Kavitha for her appearance before the agency will be extended by 10 days.
The ED had issued the summons dated September 4 to Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, seeking her appearance at the agency's Delhi office on September 15.
She approached the apex court with an application seeking directions to restrain the ED from calling her by way of notice or summons under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the pendency of her petition that is being heard by the top court in which she has sought protection from coercive action by the anti-money laundering agency.
Section 50 of the PMLA deals with powers of authorities regarding summons, production of documents, to give evidence etc.
The application also sought a stay on the operation of the September 4 summons or any other summons and "all coercive measures relating thereto".
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
