CBI Rushes to Delhi HC Against Kejriwal, Sisodia Discharge in Liquor Policy Scam

Rouse Avenue Court's Bold Verdict

Officials said that the CBI's swift action before the higher court was a measure of unresolved issues in the evidence trail, including alleged destruction of mobiles and SIMs by the accused.
Rouse Avenue Court delivered this controversial verdict for CBI, refusing cognizance of the chargesheet and discharging Kejriwal, Sisodia and the remaining co-accused, with the court finding criminal conspiracy claims were unsubstantiated and failed judicial muster.

Kejriwal Slams Modi-Shah 'Conspiracy'

AAP hailed it as a historic victory of truth, with leaders calling out “Satyamev Jayate” for painting the probe as politically engineered. Kejriwal had a press conference, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of plotting to eliminate AAP through a “fake” liquor scam that cast a shadow on his hard-won honesty.
He said, and laid charges at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the biggest political conspiracy of independent India. “The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are ‘Kattar Imaandar’,” he said.

BJP Hits Back on Policy Flaws

Virendra Sachdeva, the Delhi BJP chief, dismissed the discharge as interim, pointing to the court's evidence gap alongside CBI claims of tampering. He interrogated Kejriwal about the policy’s sudden pull-out after a probe, the 6-12 percent contractor commission increase and buy-one, get-one-free promotions that he says hurt families. 

Delhi Excise Policy: The Scam

The case is tied to the Delhi Excise Policy that was developed by the AAP government in November 2021 to overhaul liquor businesses and regulate the activity in the capital city. Within months of policy implementation, however, it found itself embroiled in a row with BJP alleging that the AAP government had colluded with the liquor mafia in an effort to replenish its coffers.
The policy was later repealed a year later in 2022. A case was brought with a report to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) by the then Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Vinai Kumar Saxena in July 2022 of multiple procedural lapses and lacunas in policy formulation.