Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal personally presented his arguments before Delhi's Rouse Avenue court on Thursday, which was hearing the Delhi excise policy case.
The AAP leader was expected to make a major disclosure in this case; the previous evening, his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, had said that he would do a "big expose" on the alleged excise policy scam in court on Thursday.
Here are 10 points raised by Kejriwal during his submission before the court:
1. During the hearing, Kejriwal alleged that a smokescreen of the AAP being corrupt has been created in front of the nation.
2." In the excise policy case, I am named by four witnesses. Are four statements enough to arrest a sitting CM?" stated the AAP leader in his submission before the court.
3. “It's being alleged that there it was a ₹100 cr scam...Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that the money trail is not yet traced,” he added.
4. Claiming a political conspiracy behind his arrest, Kejriwal argued that individuals are being coerced into becoming 'approvers' in the case and are being pressured to alter their statements.
5. According to LiveLaw, Kejriwal remarked, "The proceedings have spanned two years. The CBI initiated the case in August 2022, followed by the filing of an ECIR."
6. According to the legal website LiveLaw, Kejriwal questioned, "Where is the money earned from the liquor policy scam? The alleged ₹100 crore claimed by the ED doesn't exist. The real liquor scam emerges only after ED's investigation."
7. “You may keep me in remand as long as you like...I am ready for investigation,” the CM said in court.
8. He alleged that Sarath Chandra Reddy donated Rs 55 crore to the BJP. "I have evidence of this. Money trail is established as he donated the funds after being arrested," the chief minister said. Reddy is the director of Aurobindo Pharma Limited and one of the co-accused-turned-approvers in the case.
9. He claimed that no court had proved him guilty till now. "I was arrested, but no court has proven me guilty yet. CBI filed 31,000 pages and ED has filed 25,000 pages related to this matter", he said.
10. Kejriwal further asserted, "The ED's objective is to crush the Aam Aadmi Party."
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)