AAP national convener and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal broke down after being discharged in the Delhi Excise policy case by the Rouse Avenue Court on Friday. “I am not corrupt. The court has said that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are honest,” said Kejriwal. The Delhi court on Friday discharged Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia, as it refused to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet. Besides the two leaders, 21 more were discharged in the case.
“Today, the court has discharged all the accused in this case. We always said that the truth emerges victorious. We have full faith in the Indian legal system. Amit Shah and Modi ji together hatched the biggest political conspiracy to finish AAP, and 5 big leaders of the party were put in jail. The sitting CM was dragged out of his house and put in jail. Kejriwal is not corrupt. I have only earned honesty in my life. Today, the court has said that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are honest, ” Kejriwal said while speaking to reporters.
The CBI has been probing alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the erstwhile-AAP government’s now-scrapped excise policy. Special Judge Jitendra Singh rapped the federal agency for lapses in investigation, saying there was no cogent evidence against Kejriwal, while there was no prima facie case against Sisodia.
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The Court said that the “voluminous chargesheet” has many lacunae not supported by any witness or statement. The judge underlined “some misleading averments” and said that the voluminous chargesheet had several lacunas not corroborated by evidence or witnesses. “…The chargesheet suffers from internal contradictions, striking at the root of conspiracy theory,” Judge Singh said.
He said that in the absence of any evidence, the allegations against Kejriwal could not be sustained and that the former chief minister was implicated without any cogent evidence. This, the judge said, was inconsistent with the rule of law. Regarding Sisodia, the judge said there was no material on record showing his involvement, nor was any recovery made from him. A detailed order is awaited.
The New Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, which allowed private players in retail liquor sale, was scrapped by the then AAP government in July 2022 amid allegations of irregularities. In July 22, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the new policy, which culminated in raids on the premises of the Delhi Government’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and arrest of several AAP leaders.
