New Delhi, Feb 27: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the order of the Rouse Avenue Court discharging all 23 accused, including AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in the 2022 Delhi excise policy case.
The agency has filed a criminal revision petition contesting the trial court’s detailed order, which declined to frame charges and held that the prosecution failed to establish even a prima facie case for trial. Earlier in the day, Special Judge (PC Act) Jitendra Singh, in an order spanning over 1,100 paragraphs, concluded that the CBI’s case was “wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny” and stood “discredited in its entirety”.
After examining voluminous records and depositions of nearly 300 prosecution witnesses, the court observed that no material surfaced to raise even a “grave suspicion” against the accused. It further held that subjecting them to a full-fledged trial without legally admissible evidence would amount to a miscarriage of justice and abuse of the criminal process.
The case relates to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021–22 introduced by the then AAP-led government, later scrapped amid allegations of corruption and kickbacks. The CBI had claimed that the policy was tailored to benefit select liquor entities, including the “South Group”, in exchange for alleged bribes routed for electoral purposes, resulting in undue gains to licensees and losses to the exchequer.
However, the trial court rejected the theory of an overarching conspiracy, citing a consultative policy-making process. Following the order, Kejriwal termed the case “false and fabricated” and expressed faith in the judiciary. The CBI has maintained that key aspects were overlooked and has sought High Court intervention.
