Jasmine Shah, a leader from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has accused the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of fabricating statements in court. Shah stated, “The CBI has been exposed to the nation. Today, they were caught red-handed for making a false statement in court. They claimed that Arvind Kejriwal had blamed Manish Sisodia for Delhi’s excise policy issues. However, Kejriwal himself refuted this, asserting that both he and Manish Sisodia are innocent, and that the entire Aam Aadmi Party is innocent.”
Earlier today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the court, saying, “They are sensationalizing the issue. This needs to be clarified. This will be the top headline in all the newspapers. Their aim is to sensationalize.”
In response to Kejriwal’s denial, the CBI asserted in court, “Our statements are based on factual evidence.”
The court took issue with the CBI’s claim that Kejriwal had shifted the “entire responsibility” for the alleged privatization issue onto Sisodia. The court clarified, “We have reviewed his statement. Kejriwal did not make any such assertion.”
Sunita Kejriwal, in a post on the social media platform X, criticized the legal actions against her husband. “Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail on June 20th, but the Enforcement Directorate (ED) immediately obtained a stay. The next day, the CBI made him an accused, and today he was arrested. The entire system seems intent on keeping him in jail. This is not justice; this is dictatorship and an emergency,” she said.
The CBI arrested Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP national convenor, on Wednesday in connection with the liquor policy case. Presenting Kejriwal in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, the CBI stated that they could have pursued the matter before the Lok Sabha elections but chose not to. On Tuesday, the CBI interrogated Kejriwal in Tihar Jail and recorded his statement concerning the Excise Policy case.
Kejriwal withdrew his plea from the Supreme Court, which had challenged the Delhi High Court’s interim stay on a trial court’s bail order. Represented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, Kejriwal opted to withdraw the plea, intending to file a substantial appeal after the High Court’s detailed order on June 25. The High Court had stayed the bail order, criticizing the trial court for not adequately assessing the conditions under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Arvind Kejriwal has been in custody since March 21, aside from a brief period of interim bail for election campaigning. The case revolves around alleged irregularities in Delhi’s now-repealed 2021-22 excise policy. The investigation commenced following a recommendation by Delhi’s lieutenant governor in July 2022.