By: The Trek News Desk
In a significant legal development, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been discharged in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy. A Delhi trial court on Friday cleared Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and 21 other accused persons of charges filed by the CBI, bringing substantial relief to the party’s top leadership.
The case originated from a July 2022 report submitted by then Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. The report highlighted alleged procedural irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
According to the report, certain decisions taken by Sisodia, who was serving as the excise minister at the time, were described as arbitrary and unilateral. It was alleged that these decisions led to an estimated loss of over ₹580 crore to the public exchequer. The report further claimed that liquor traders were granted undue benefits, including waivers on license fees and penalties, as well as relief measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Allegations were also made that kickbacks were used to influence the 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab and Goa.
The new excise policy had come into effect in November 2021 but was withdrawn in July 2022 amid mounting controversy. Two separate investigations were launched in connection with the matter: one by the CBI and another by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged money laundering.
During the course of the investigation, several senior AAP leaders were taken into custody, including Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. With the court’s latest order, all accused in the CBI case have now been discharged. However, proceedings in the ED’s money laundering case are still ongoing.
Following the court’s decision, political reactions have intensified. The Aam Aadmi Party termed the verdict a “victory of truth,” while opposition parties have offered mixed responses. Attention now shifts to the developments in the ED case, which continues to move forward through the legal process.
Source: News Agencies
