New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) A Delhi court, on Friday, acquitted all the 23 accused, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in the excise policy case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying that the prosecution failed to establish even a prima facie case or raise a “grave suspicion” warranting the framing of charges.

In a detailed order running into more than 1,100 paragraphs, Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Jitendra Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court, said that the case projected by the CBI was “wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny” and stood “discredited in its entirety”.

Observing that compelling the accused to undergo a full-fledged criminal trial in the absence of legally admissible material would amount to a “manifest miscarriage of justice”, the Rose Avenue Court’s Special Judge discharged all the accused persons in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

The case pertained to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021–22 introduced by the then AAP-led state government in November 2021 and later scrapped in 2022 amid allegations of corruption and kickbacks.

What is the case against Kejriwal and AAP? As per central probe agencies, Kejriwal and other AAP leaders had accepted bribes from the “South Group” cartel, which was purportedly granted undue benefits under the 2021–22 excise policy.

The agencies alleged that the policy framework was manipulated to favour select liquor licensees in exchange for alleged upfront payments routed for electoral purposes, including the 2022 Goa Assembly elections.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report claimed that irregularities in policy formulation and implementation resulted in an alleged loss exceeding Rs 2,026 crore.

The report said that the taxpayers suffered losses of about Rs 890 crore due to the then AAP-led Delhi government’s decision not to re-tender surrendered retail liquor licences, while an additional Rs 941 crore loss was attributed to exemptions granted to zonal licensees.

The audit findings also flagged alleged lack of transparency in pricing mechanisms, violations in licence issuance and renewal, failure to penalise rule violators, and absence of approval from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, Cabinet or Legislative Assembly at key stages.

The Group of Ministers led by Sisodia was accused of not acting on recommendations of an expert panel and allowing allegedly disqualified entities to bid.

Kejriwal and Sisodia have consistently denied the allegations, terming the case “politically motivated” and accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of weaponising central agencies.

However, after examining voluminous records and nearly 300 prosecution witnesses, the trial court concluded that the “theory of an overarching conspiracy” stood “completely dismantled” and that the prosecution had failed to place material even at the threshold stage.

Meanwhile, the CBI has moved the Delhi High Court against the trial court’s discharge order, contending that several aspects of the investigation were either ignored or not adequately considered by the court below.

Given below is a detailed timeline of the excise policy case and the legal battle involving Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia: February 26, 2023: Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, six months after he and 14 others were named in an FIR registered by the central agency in August 2022.

March 9, 2023: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sisodia while he was already in judicial custody after his earlier CBI arrest.

March 21, 2024: The ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against “coercive action”.

May 10, 2024: In view of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case till June 1 and directed him to surrender on June 2.

June 26, 2024: Kejriwal was formally arrested by the CBI in the corruption case following his earlier arrest by the ED.

July 12, 2024: The Supreme Court granted him interim bail in the ED case while referring his plea challenging arrest to a larger bench. Kejriwal, however, remained in custody due to the CBI arrest.

August 9, 2024: The Supreme Court granted bail to Sisodia in both ED and CBI cases, saying that he cannot be kept behind bars indefinitely in anticipation of trial.

August 23, 2024: The CBI told the Rouse Avenue Court that it had obtained the requisite sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy corruption case.

September 13, 2024: The Supreme Court granted bail to Kejriwal in the CBI corruption case but declined to quash his arrest, leading his release from custody after several months of incarceration.

January 15, 2025: The Centre granted sanction to the ED to prosecute Kejriwal and Sisodia under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following the recommendation of Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.

February 27, 2026: The Rouse Avenue Court discharged all the 23 accused, including Kejriwal and Sisodia, holding that the prosecution failed to make out even a prima facie case and that the foundational predicate offence did not survive.

With the CBI now having filed a revision petition before the Delhi High Court, the high-profile case that once dominated national political discourse appears set to enter its next legal chapter.

–IANS

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