Delhi Court acquitted Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia in Delhi Excise Policy Case

On Friday, the Rouse Avenue Court discharged Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Excise Policy case, holding that the prosecution’s allegations lacked substance and failed judicial scrutiny. The verdict effectively ends the criminal proceedings against the duo in this high-profile policy scandal, underscoring the limits of conspiracy claims in administrative actions.

The case stemmed from CBI investigations alleging that a “south lobby” paid Rs 100 crore to influence the now-scrapped excise policy in their favour. Kejriwal and Sisodia, along with 21 others including bureaucrats and businesspersons, were named in the chargesheets filed since 2022. The CBI argued that the charges, particularly under the criminal conspiracy provision, must be considered in entirety and tested at trial. The defence, led by senior advocate N. Hariharan for Kejriwal, countered that there was no evidence directly linking the Chief Minister to any wrongdoing and highlighted that Kejriwal’s name only appeared in the fourth supplementary chargesheet. Sisodia’s counsel similarly argued absence of intent and material.

The Court agreed with the defence, noting that the alleged central conspiratorial role “cannot survive against one constitutional authority” and that the accusations “failed judicial scrutiny,” further observing that there was “no criminal intent” on the part of Manish Sisodia. Consequently, both Kejriwal and Sisodia were discharged from the case, while proceedings against the remaining accused continue.