Rouse Avenue Court Discharges Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia in Excise Policy Case; CBI to Move HC.
New Delhi:
In a significant development in the Delhi excise policy case, a special court on Friday discharged former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, former MP K. Kavitha, and 21 others, bringing the Central Bureau of Investigation’s prosecution to a close at the trial court level.
Special Judge Jitendra Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court, in a detailed 598-page order, held that the case was built largely on hearsay evidence and suffered from serious procedural lapses. The court observed that there was no substantive material to justify framing charges against the accused and described the probe as a “premeditated and choreographed exercise” in which roles appeared to have been retrospectively assigned to fit a preconceived narrative.
Court Flags Procedural Lapses
The judge expressed concern over what he termed a “complete disregard” by the investigating officer for the constitutional protections available to public servants discharging official duties. The court noted that the prosecution relied heavily on statements attributed to an approver, which were found to be inadmissible hearsay in the absence of corroborating evidence.
In a stern observation, the court ordered a departmental inquiry against the “erring investigating officer” for framing the accused without adequate material evidence.
CBI to Appeal
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had registered the initial FIR based on a complaint by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena, announced that it would immediately challenge the order before the Delhi High Court. The agency said several aspects of its investigation had not been adequately considered by the trial court.
The case pertained to alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s 2020 excise policy. In its chargesheet running into thousands of pages, the CBI had alleged that modifications to the policy resulted in undue favours to certain licence holders, waiver or reduction of licence fees, and extension of L-1 licences without proper approval. It further claimed that illegal gains were diverted to public officials and false accounting entries were made to conceal the transactions.
Subsequently, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) initiated parallel proceedings under money laundering laws.
Political Reactions
Welcoming the verdict, Kejriwal termed it a “victory of truth” and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating what he described as the “biggest political conspiracy in Independent India.” He said it was unprecedented that a sitting Chief Minister had been jailed for months in what he called a false case.
Visibly emotional, Kejriwal asserted that the court’s findings vindicated both him and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He also challenged the BJP to face fresh elections in Delhi, saying he would quit politics if the party won even 10 seats.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, however, said the electorate had already delivered its verdict in the February 2025 Assembly elections, when AAP lost its majority after a decade in power. She maintained that the discharge resulted from lack of evidence and alleged that crucial evidence had been destroyed during the course of the case.
Background
Kejriwal had spent five months in jail in connection with the case, while Sisodia was incarcerated for 17 months before both were granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2024, months ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections.
With the CBI set to approach the High Court, the legal battle over the excise policy case is likely to continue, even as the trial court’s order marks a major political and legal setback for the investigating agencies.
