Excise policy case: AAP, BJP spar over HC decision to admit CBI plea

BJP welcomes Delhi High Court's decision to challenge the discharge of Kejriwal in the excise policy case, alleging corruption and evidence destruction by AAP.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday welcomed the Delhi High Court’s decision to admit a petition challenging a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court order discharging former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in the alleged excise policy case.

Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and several others were discharged in the case. (PTI)

Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said judicial processes may take a little longer, but ultimately truth prevails. “Whether the Arvind Kejriwal government was involved in the liquor scam in Delhi will now soon be determined in the Delhi High Court after proper arguments,” he said.

The manner in which the Delhi High Court has stayed the remarks made by the CBI court raises a question mark over the lower court’s verdict, he said.

Delhi education minister Ashish Sood also pulled up the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and demanded the party leaders should apologise to the people of Delhi. He said the path has now opened for investigating a corruption case involving public money in Delhi.

“AAP leaders attempted to destroy several key pieces of evidence to conceal corruption in the case. It has come to light that 170 mobile phones and 43 SIM cards were destroyed to erase evidence related to the liquor policy case,” he alleged.

Sood also compared that under the old liquor policy, the government earned about ₹329.9 in revenue per bottle, while under the new policy it dropped drastically to around ₹8.32 per bottle. At the same time, the retailers’ margin increased from ₹33.35 to ₹363.27, which had a significant impact on government revenue.

“AAP has repeatedly projected itself as ‘kattar imaandar’ but the truth is gradually coming out,” he added.

Hitting back at the allegations, the AAP said that the CBI had fabricated the case at BJP’s behest and was exposed when the trial court found the matter unfit even for trial.

Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said the agency’s failure to secure a stay has left the lower court order intact, while the officers who built the case now fear disciplinary action, loss of service and jail.

“Ever since the Rouse Avenue Court found that the entire matter was fake and fabricated, the truth has been before everyone. Being discharged is even a higher stage than being acquitted, because acquittal happens after the entire trial is conducted and evidence and witnesses are examined. Here the court did not even consider the matter fit for trial,” Bharadwaj said.

Speaking about the developments in the high court, he said, “Today in the high court, only the Centre’s lawyer was heard, our lawyer was not heard at all. The central government’s lawyer presented a one sided story. Despite this, the court did not give any stay order on the Rouse Avenue Court’s decision in which all the accused had been discharged. That order still stands as it is,” he added.

Meanwhile, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav said the BJP and AAP have been playing like cats and dogs to shield the corruption of AAP leaders in the liquor scam case.

“The higher courts will thwart their evil design for setting narrative to dent the vote bank of Congress in ensuing election states, but they have already been exposed before people’s court,” Yadav added.