The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday said it will “immediately” move the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court order discharging former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy case.
In a statement, the agency said it decided to appeal because several aspects of its investigation were either “ignored or not considered adequately” by the trial court while rejecting its chargesheet.
Earlier in the day, a Delhi court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and 21 others after declining to take cognisance of the CBI’s chargesheet in the case linked to the now-scrapped liquor policy of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Among those cleared was K. Kavitha, president of Telangana Jagruthi.
Special Judge Jitendra Singh ruled that the evidence presented failed to establish sufficient grounds for prosecution in the alleged corruption case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.
The judge pointed to “misleading averments” in the chargesheet and noted that the voluminous document contained multiple gaps that were not corroborated by evidence or witness testimony.
The CBI has been investigating alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s excise policy, which was later withdrawn amid political controversy and corruption allegations.