New Delhi, February 28 – Senior advocate Kapil Sibal welcomed the Delhi court's decision to acquit former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and several others in the CBI's excise policy case on Saturday, calling it "a very important decision" and raising questions about accountability for the period they spent in jail.
Speaking after the verdict, Sibal said the court had dismissed the CBI's case against Kejriwal, Sisodia, and around 20-22 other accused, including K. Kavitha, and discharged all of them.
He questioned who would be held responsible for the 126 days Kejriwal spent in jail and the 503 days Sisodia remained incarcerated.
"There must be accountability. They claimed there was a scam worth Rs 100 crore, but the judge said that it appeared the decision to implicate them had been made first," Sibal said, adding, "These are the observations of the judge, not my personal views."
The court observed that it appeared the decision to frame the accused had been taken in advance. It remarked that the move seemed premeditated — first deciding to implicate the individuals and then searching for evidence to support that decision.
According to Sibal, the court noted that there was no recovery, no seizure, and no money trail established by the investigating agency. It also questioned the procedure of first determining whom to frame and subsequently looking for supporting material.
On February 27, the court discharged all the accused in the CBI case, observing that the prosecution had failed to produce substantive evidence. It noted that no criminal conspiracy could be established and that the case appeared to have been initiated on the basis of a single oral statement against Kuldeep Singh.
The Rouse Avenue Court granted major relief to Kejriwal and Sisodia in the excise policy case on Friday, observing that the prosecution had failed to substantiate its allegations. The CBI had alleged that nearly Rs 100 crore was paid by a "south lobby" to influence the 2021-22 excise policy, which was later scrapped following a probe order.
The judgment brings significant legal relief to the Aam Aadmi Party leaders after a prolonged investigation spanning several years.
