New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have received a major relief in the alleged liquor scam case. The court has discharged both leaders from the case. In its decision, the court said that the investigating agency CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) does not have sufficient evidence to prosecute the two. According to the court, the charges are not proven on the basis of the available evidence, hence the decision to discharge them. Along with this, other accused named in the case have also been given relief and discharged from the charges.
Both leaders appeared in person at the Rouse Avenue Court for the hearing. During the hearing, some other accused, including K. Kavitha, Amandeep Dhall, and several others, appeared in the court via video conferencing. The court said in its verdict that there was no sufficient evidence of any larger conspiracy or criminal intent regarding the excise policy. According to the court, the available evidence did not prove that there was any criminal intent in making the policy. With this, the court closed the case registered by the CBI and acquitted all 23 accused, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.
The court said that there was no substance in the allegations made by the agency and there was no sufficient evidence of any criminal conspiracy in the case. The court clearly said that the prosecution had failed to prove its case, hence the allegations could not stand. On this basis, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and many other accused were acquitted. During the hearing, the judge also raised questions on the CBI charge sheet and documents. The court said that the documents presented by the investigating agency did not match the charge sheet. The judge expressed displeasure and said that till now he had not even been provided with a copy of the alleged confessional statement. The court also said that it expected honesty from the agency’s lawyer.
During the hearing, the court also objected to some of the words used in the CBI chargesheet. The judge specifically expressed concern over the use of the term “South Group,” stating that the use of such words was inappropriate. The judge remarked, asking whether the same chargesheet had been filed in Chennai, would it have been written as “South Group” there as well? The court also questioned who coined the term. The CBI responded that it was a common term used for several accused.
Citing an example, the judge said that a case in the US was dismissed solely because the term “Dominic Group” was used. The court clarified that terms like “South Group” should not have been used. The CBI had named 23 people, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, and K. Kavitha, as accused in its charge sheet. The agency filed its first charge sheet in this case in 2022, followed by a supplementary charge sheet.
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