‘No Evidence, No Conspiracy’: Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, 21 Others Acquitted In Delhi Liquor Scam Case

New Delhi: In a major development in the Delhi excise policy case, the Rouse Avenue Court on Friday acquitted former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, ruling that there was no evidence to support the charges filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The hearing began earlier in the day with several accused appearing before the court. While Kejriwal and Sisodia were physically present, others- including K. Kavitha and Amandeep Dhal-joined proceedings via video conferencing.

The court noted that the allegations "failed judicial scrutiny" and found "no criminal intent" on the part of Manish Sisodia. It further stated that the conspiracy theory "cannot survive against one constitutional authority." 

The court observed that the alleged central conspiratorial role could not be substantiated. Expressing her joy at the verdict, Sunita Kejriwal the wife of Arvind posted, “In this world, no matter how powerful one becomes, one cannot rise above Shiva Shakti. Truth always prevails.”

The CBI filed its first chargesheet in 2022, followed by multiple supplementary chargesheets. The agency has alleged that Rs 100 crore was paid by a "south lobby" to influence the now-scrapped excise policy in its favour.

In total, 23 accused have been chargesheeted, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, K Kavitha, Kuldeep Singh, Narender Singh, Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Mootha Goutam, Sameer Mahendru, Amandeep Singh Dhall, Arjun Pandey, Butchibabu Gornatla, Rakesh Joshi, Damodar Prasad Sharma, Prince Kumar, Chanpreet Singh Rayat, Arvind Kumar Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Amit Arora, Vinod Chauhan, Ashish Mathur, and P Sarath Chadra Reddy.

During arguments, the CBI maintained that the offence of criminal conspiracy must be viewed in its entirety and that the sufficiency of evidence should be tested during trial. Represented by Additional Solicitor General D P Singh and advocate Manu Mishra, the agency argued that there is adequate material to frame charges against all the accused.

Speaking to reporters, Kejriwal also accused PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of hatching the biggest political conspiracy of independent India. He also alleged that the BJP planned to finish the Aam Aadmi Party by putting its top five leaders while asserting that he has always said that the "truth emerges victorious."

"I am not corrupt. The court has said that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are honest. 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," he said.

On the other hand, senior advocate N Hariharan, appeared for Kejriwal, contended that there is no incriminating material linking his client to the alleged conspiracy. He argued that the fourth supplementary chargesheet naming Kejriwal merely repackages earlier allegations and that Kejriwal was performing his official duties as Chief Minister.

In its order, the court said the allegations lacked merit and that no criminal conspiracy had been established. It emphasized that a fair investigation is essential for a fair trial, noting that the material presented did not substantiate the charges.

Hariharan further submitted that Kejriwal was not named in the initial chargesheet or in three earlier supplementary chargesheets. His name appeared only in the fourth. The defence also questioned the basis of further investigation and the evidentiary value of statements, including that of approver Raghav Magunta. 

During arguments, the CBI maintained that the offence of criminal conspiracy must be viewed in its entirety and that the sufficiency of evidence should be tested during trial. Represented by Additional Solicitor General D P Singh and advocate Manu Mishra, the agency argued that there is adequate material to frame charges against all the accused.

The Central Bureau of Investigation will approach the Delhi High Court, challenging the Rouse Avenue Court judgment discharging Aam Admi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Excise policy case, sources in the probe agency said on Friday.

The verdict brings significant legal relief to Kejriwal and Sisodia, both of whom had been facing scrutiny over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy. With the court finding no prosecutable evidence, all charges against them in this CBI case stand cleared.