Breaking: Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia Acquitted in Delhi Liquor Policy Case

Delhi court on Friday discharged former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, senior party leader Manish Sisodia, and several others in the CBI case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

The order was passed by Special Judge Jitendra Singh at the Rouse Avenue Court, who held that the material placed on record by the Central Bureau of Investigation did not establish any larger conspiracy or criminal intent behind the formulation of the liquor policy.

While pronouncing the order, the court made it clear that there was no evidence to support the claim that the policy was framed as part of a criminal conspiracy. The judge observed that the prosecution had failed to show any overarching plan or deliberate wrongdoing in the way the policy was designed or implemented.

Soon after the verdict, Arvind Kejriwal addressed journalists and broke down during the interaction, visibly overwhelmed by the outcome. Manish Sisodia, who stood beside Kejriwal during the media briefing, tried to calm and console Kejriwal.

During the hearing, the judge made several sharp remarks about the manner in which the investigation was presented before the court. At one point, he commented, “Sometimes when you read too many files, the file starts talking to you,” hinting at what appeared to be an over-interpretation of documents by the investigating agency.

The court also questioned the CBI over missing elements in its charge sheet. Judge Singh noted that from the very beginning, he had asked for a copy of an alleged confession and a clear list of key witnesses. However, those were not included in the documents filed before the court.

In response, the agency informed the court that certain materials had been submitted in a sealed envelope. But the judge pointed out that even the supposed confessional statement had not been properly shared as part of the charge sheet, raising concerns about the completeness of the prosecution’s case.

After examining the submissions, the court concluded that the theory of a broad conspiracy put forward by the CBI was not backed by solid evidence. The judge remarked that the case appeared to be based more on conjecture than on concrete proof.

The excise policy case has been one of the most politically charged investigations in recent years, triggering intense debates and multiple legal battles. The policy, which was later withdrawn, had drawn allegations of irregularities and favouritism in the allocation of liquor licences. However, with Friday’s order, the court has found that the evidence presented so far does not justify proceeding against the discharged leaders in this particular CBI case.

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