The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and 21 others. This notice comes in response to a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging their discharge in the Delhi excise policy case. The court sought responses from the accused on the CBI’s criminal revision petition, which contested the trial court’s decision to discharge all 23 individuals involved in the case.
The High Court also put a stay on the trial court’s directive for departmental action against a CBI officer who investigated the case. Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, the single-judge Bench, emphasized that any remarks against the investigating agency and the officer would be on hold. The court indicated that the trial court should postpone proceedings in the linked money laundering case until the High Court resolves the CBI’s revision petition.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the trial court’s discharge order for Kejriwal, Sisodia, and others was unjust. He contended that the case involved a significant scam in the national capital and criticized the trial court’s decision as turning criminal law upside down. The CBI, through Mehta, highlighted the presence of corroborative material and alleged that the discharge order effectively amounted to an acquittal without a proper trial.
