Delhi News: In a significant blow to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a Delhi court on Thursday discharged former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the alleged excise policy corruption case. The order was passed by Special Judge Jitender Singh at the Rouse Avenue Court, granting relief to all 23 accused in the high-profile matter that has dominated political discourse for months.
Court Flags Gaps, Questions Conspiracy Angle
While delivering the ruling, the judge came down heavily on the probe agency, observing that the extensive chargesheet suffered from serious deficiencies. The court noted that crucial evidentiary links were missing despite voluminous documentation. It said there was no cogent evidence against Kejriwal and no prima facie case against Sisodia or the other accused. The court further held that there was no “overarching conspiracy or criminal intent” in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy. The observations reflect judicial concerns about the manner in which the investigation was conducted and presented before the court.
23 Accused Get Clean Chit
All 23 individuals named in the case have been discharged at this stage. Among those cleared is K. Kavitha, along with Kuldeep Singh, Narender Singh, Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Mootha Goutam, Sameer Mahendru, Amandeep Singh Dhall, Arjun Pandey, Butchibabu Gornatla, Rakesh Joshi, Damodar Prasad Sharma, Prince Kumar, Chanpreet Singh Rayat, Arvind Kumar Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Amit Arora, Vinod Chauhan, Ashish Mathur and P Sarath Chadra Reddy. The alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy had triggered arrests and prolonged legal proceedings. Kejriwal spent six months in jail in connection with the case, while Sisodia remained incarcerated for nearly two years. Reacting to the verdict, Kejriwal said, "The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are 'Kattar Imaandar'."
CBI To Challenge Order
The CBI indicated it would challenge the ruling before the Delhi High Court. “Several aspects of probe have been either ignored or not considered adequately,” a spokesperson said. With the trial court proceedings effectively concluded for now, the legal battle is likely to continue at the appellate level, keeping the politically sensitive case in the spotlight.