‘Modi, Shah conspired to target AAP leaders’: Kejriwal after court acquits him in excise policy case
New Delhi: A Delhi court has acquitted former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and other Aam Aadmi Party leaders of all charges in the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case. Kejriwal hailed the verdict as proof of the party leaders’ honesty and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah orchestrated a conspiracy to undermine AAP.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Special judge Jitender Singh of Rouse Avenue Court slammed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for lapses in its investigation, noting that the “voluminous chargesheet” has many lacunae not supported by any witness or statement. The judge concluded that Kejriwal was implicated without any cogent material, which raises concerns about the rule of law, especially for someone in a constitutional role.
“For the past few years, the way BJP has been accusing us in the Delhi excise policy case, today the court has rejected all the allegations levelled against us. PM [Narendra] Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah conspired against AAP and arrested the party’s five biggest leaders. They wanted to finish AAP. A sitting chief minister was arrested. This had never happened in India,” Kejriwal told reporters outside the court.
“We were accused and called corrupt in every channel. The court has said today that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are honest,” he added, while breaking down into tears.
The case originated from a July 2022 report by the then Delhi Chief Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, alleging procedural lapses in the formulation of the excise policy and claiming financial losses of over Rs 580 crore to the exchequer. The CBI registered a corruption case, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a separate money laundering case, which is still pending.
