Excise Policy Case: Delhi court discharges Kejriwal, 20 others, CBI appeals in HC

New Delhi, Feb 27: Sharply pulling up the CBI for pursuing a case “wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny”, a Delhi court on Friday discharged former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the excise policy case instrumental in bringing down the AAP government.

Among the 21 people cleared in the case that became a political hot potato is Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha.

Hours after the verdict by special judge Jitendra Singh, the CBI filed an appeal challenging it in the Delhi High Court. Several aspects of the investigation were either ignored or not considered adequately, a spokesperson of the agency said in response to the scathing criticism by the trial court.

As news came in of the clean chit in the case that sent him into virtual political wilderness, a relieved Kejriwal broke down and said the corruption case against him was the “biggest political conspiracy” in the history of Independent India.

“The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are ‘Kattar Imaandar’,” the three-time chief minister said. Addressing a press conference later in the day, he said they will file an application in a court for discharge in connection with the cases registered by Enforcement Directorate as well.

While Kejriwal was in jail for six months in the case, Sisodia was behind bars for almost two years.