New Delhi, March 9 Following the Delhi High Court's request for the statements of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in the liquor policy case, the BJP on Monday termed it a "major victory" for the investigating agencies, asserting that the fight against corruption must proceed based on facts and evidence.
The ruling party also criticized the Aam Aadmi Party, questioning its claims of being "completely honest".
The high court on Monday sought the statements of Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in response to a petition filed by the CBI challenging the trial court's decision to acquit them in the case.
BJP's IT head, Amit Malviya, said this development reinforced the seriousness of the investigation into the liquor policy case.
"A major victory for the investigating agencies in the Delhi liquor excise scam. This development reinforces the seriousness of the investigation and ensures that the evidence gathered by the agencies receives proper judicial scrutiny," Malviya said on X.
"The fight against corruption must proceed based on facts and evidence, and today's order is an important step in that direction," he added.
Earlier, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notices to the accused and scheduled the matter for hearing on March 16.
The high court also indicated that it would stay any remarks made by the trial court against CBI officials and would ask the trial court to postpone proceedings in the related money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate until the present matter is decided.
Commenting on the development, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said those who portrayed the AAP as a victim should respond to the high court's order.
"Will those who projected 'Completely Corrupt' AAP as a victim respond in the same way when the High Court stayed the trial court's adversarial commentary? Why are they silent?" he asked on X.
On February 27, the trial court acquitted Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 others, stating that the CBI's case was unable to withstand judicial scrutiny and lacked admissible evidence.
The CBI, which is investigating alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, challenged the acquittal order on the same day, terming it "blatantly illegal" and "perverse".
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the probe agency, argued that the acquittal order had "turned criminal law on its head" and argued that there was sufficient material to frame charges against the accused.