Arvind Kejriwal turned emotional and broke down before cameras on Friday after a Delhi court discharged him and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy, calling the verdict a victory of truth and justice.
Speaking to reporters after the order, an emotional Kejriwal said the verdict reaffirmed his long-held claim of innocence.
“I am not corrupt. The court has said that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are honest,” the former Chief Minister said.
“BJP was making allegations against us, but the court acquitted everyone, truth has prevailed,” Kejriwal said, breaking down during the interaction.
“We always said that the truth emerges victorious. We have full faith in the Indian legal system. (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and (Prime Minister) Modi ji together hatched the biggest political conspiracy to finish the Aam Aadmi Party, and five big leaders of the party were put in jail.”
“The sitting Chief Minister was dragged out of his house and put in jail. Kejriwal is not corrupt. I have only earned honesty in my life,” he added.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also reacted to the verdict, saying the outcome strengthened faith in constitutional institutions.
“We are proud of our Constitution,” Sisodia said, crediting the judicial process for ensuring justice after a prolonged legal battle.
The order was passed by Special Judge Jitender Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court, who discharged all 23 accused in the matter and declined to frame charges in the corruption case.
The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case and flagged serious deficiencies in the investigation.
The court also rapped the CBI for implicating the accused without sufficient material and noted that the voluminous chargesheet contained several lacunae unsupported by witness statements or evidence.
COURT FLAGS INVESTIGATIVE LACUNAE
The court’s order underscored the importance of a fair investigation for ensuring a fair trial.
The judge criticised the investigative process, pointing to gaps in evidence and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.
With the refusal to frame charges, all accused persons in the matter stand discharged.
During hearings, the CBI had argued that the alleged conspiracy should be viewed in its entirety and that the sufficiency of evidence ought to be tested during trial.
The defence, however, maintained that there was no incriminating material linking Kejriwal to the alleged wrongdoing and questioned why his name appeared only in a later supplementary chargesheet.
THE DELHI EXCISE POLICY CASE
The case stems from allegations surrounding the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s excise policy, which was probed by the CBI.
The agency had alleged that a “south lobby” paid around Rs 100 crore to influence the policy in its favour.
The court had reserved its order on February 12 after hearing detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the accused, including Kejriwal and Sisodia, before pronouncing its decision on February 27.
