Kangra (Himachal Pradesh)

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday observed that the discharge of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case is a procedural matter subject to review by higher judicial authorities.

The Union Minister, while talking to the media, said, "This is a process. When a court issues an order and finds it wrong, it is corrected by a larger bench or a higher court... An appeal is filed, and then the correct decision is given."

"By abusing Prime Minister Modi, he wants to remain in the headlines. We cannot stop him; he has the freedom to speak, and we cannot take away his freedom," Kiren Rijiju further said.

Meanwhile, today, Arvind Kejriwal, following the Court's discharge in the excise policy case yesterday, is set to visit the Hanuman Temple at 12 pm.

Kejriwal, along with party leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Durgesh Pathak, will offer prayers at the temple.

The Rouse Avenue Court discharged Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the CBI's Delhi excise policy case, which originated from allegations of corruption in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The CBI had alleged that the policy was framed to benefit certain private liquor licensees by allegedly reducing licence fees and fixing profit margins, resulting in kickbacks and financial loss to the Delhi government.

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The FIR was registered by the CBI in August 2022 following a complaint by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. According to the agency, a criminal conspiracy was allegedly hatched at the stage of policy formulation, with deliberate loopholes introduced to favour select entities after the tender process.

The court was critical of the investigative approach adopted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), observing that the agency's theory was based on conjectures rather than admissible evidence. It also cautioned against the use of approver statements to fill gaps in the prosecution's case and recommended a departmental inquiry against certain CBI officials.