CBI moves Delhi High Court to challenge trial court order discharging Kejriwal, others in liquor policy case

The CBI has filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court, challenging a special court’s order discharging former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and others in the liquor policy case, officials said on Friday.

Sources said the federal agency has flagged several points that were ignored and not considered at the framing-of-the-charge level by the special court.

Also read: Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia discharged in Delhi liquor policy case

'Kejriwal imandaar hai': Delhi ex-CM breaks down after being discharged in liquor policy case

“The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to appeal in the high court against the judgment of the trial court immediately since several aspects of the investigation have either been ignored or not considered adequately,” a spokesperson of the agency said in a statement earlier in the day.

The special court on Friday discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and 21 others in the liquor-policy case by refusing to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet against them.

Among the 21 people given a clean chit in the case is Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha.

Special Judge Jitendra Singh rapped the CBI for lapses in the investigation, saying there was no cogent evidence against Kejriwal and no prima-facie case against Sisodia and the other accused.

The CBI has been probing alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s now-scrapped excise policy for the national capital.

The case stemmed from a complaint by L-G VK Saxena in 2022 to the CBI and subsequently the probe agency had registered a First Information Report.