A Delhi court on Friday discharged Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and several others in the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) case relating to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Special Judge Jitendra Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court held that the material presented by the agency did not establish any overarching conspiracy or criminal intent behind the formulation of the policy.
"There was no overarching conspiracy or criminal intent in the excise policy," the court ruled while pronouncing the order.
Judge Criticises CBI's Handling of The Case
During the hearing, Judge Singh made several pointed observations about the agency's approach. At one point, he remarked:
"Sometimes when you read too many files, the file starts talking to you."
The court questioned the CBI over the absence of key material in the charge sheet. "I have been asking for a confession from day one, but it wasn't provided with the charge sheet. I had asked for a list of star witnesses," the judge said.
The agency responded that certain information had been submitted in a sealed envelope. However, the judge noted that even the alleged confessional statement had not been shared with the court.
Court Rejects Prosecution's Theory of Conspiracy
Judge Singh concluded that the CBI had attempted to construct a broad conspiracy theory that was not supported by evidence presented. He observed that the prosecution's case was built on “mere conjecture” rather than substantiated facts.
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