K Kavitha, in jail since March over alleged corruption and money laundering charge in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, was released from jail on Tuesday evening, hours after Supreme Court granted conditional bail to the Telangana politician.

BRS workers and supporters played drums and burst crackers as she stepped out of the prison complex. Ms Kavitha’s brother and BRS working president KT Rama Rao was also present.

“We are fighters, we will fight it out legally and politically. They have only made the BRS and KCR’s team unbreakable,” said the combative leader in her first comments after walking out of the jail.

Earlier today, the top court said 46-year-old Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader’s custody was no longer required as both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have completed their probe against her.

“The appellant (Kavitha) is directed to be released forthwith on bail … on furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs 10 lakh in each of the cases,” the bench said, while allowing her appeals against the July 1 verdict of the Delhi High Court which had denied her bail in the two cases.

The two central agencies came in for some sharp criticism over the “fairness” of their investigation, with the top court observing “Sorry to see this state of affairs”.

“The prosecution has to be fair. You can’t pick and choose anyone. What is this fairness? A person who incriminates himself has been made a witness,” the bench said, adding, “Tomorrow you will pick up anyone as you choose and leave anyone as you choose as an accused? Very fair and reasonable discretion!”.

Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ms Kavitha, argued that the probe against her was complete and the charge sheet and prosecution complaint have already been filed.

He also referred to the August 9 top court verdict granting bail to co-accused and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the two cases.

The ED had arrested Ms Kavitha from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15 and the CBI arrested her from Tihar jail on April 11.

Jay Shah, the current honorary secretary of the BCCI, has been elected unopposed as the Independent Chair of the ICC, and will assume his position on 1 December, 2024. On August 20, it was announced that current ICC Chair Greg Barclay would not seek a third term and would step down at the conclusion of his tenure in November. Shah, who was the sole nominee for the chairmanship, emphasised his commitment to expanding the global reach and popularity of cricket, especially with its upcoming inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics.

“I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council,” Shah stated.

“I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalize cricket. We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before.”

“While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways.”

For the unversed, Shah is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). However, he will now have to resign from that post before taking over the world cricket body.