"Discharge means there is not even a case for which charges can be framed": Abhishek Manu Singhvi

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday praised the Rouse Avenue Court's decision to discharge former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others in the CBI's Delhi Excise Policy Case, saying that the discharge means that there is no case, hence no charges can be framed.
"It's a very important judgment, and I'm happy that at various stages from 2021-22 up to date, both in the liquor matters, both in the civil matters, both in the bail matters, and in the ED matters, I was involved at different stages... discharge means that there is not even a case for which charges can be framed..." he said.
Calling the judgement "bold and courageous," Singhvi said that it abides by the law and doesn't allow bifurcation into any alleyways.
"This is a bold and courageous judgment which goes against the law. It doesn't get digressed and diverted into bylanes and alleyways... Third, it deals with the arguments we made at different times over the last 4 years or 3 years... This whole practice, the entire design of these proceedings, which has always been: catch people, keep them incarcerated, subject their relatives to intimidation and pressure... Then suddenly they go through some laundering machine and become approvers, and upon that they get bail and then start making allegations against the accused. This whole narrative has been condemned and castigated by the judgment..." he stated.
The senior advocate hailed the decision, saying that it went through multiple layers of decision for almost a year, further underlining that the judgement is a testament to law and justice against the Vendetta politics.
"The court remembers and reiterates the old principle that the worst form, the lowest form of evidence, is an approver's evidence... The institutional decision, par excellence, which is multi-layered over almost a year, went through 10-12 layers, including the LG's office... It's a 600-page judgment... It's a vindication of the law and of justice against Vendetta politics, which is then criminalised and weaponised, with agencies sometimes acting at the behest of the master puppeteers for ulterior motives..." he stated.
In an X post, Singhvi said that the court's decision has ruptured the claims of "political masters" acting like master puppeteers."
"Many thanks to former CM Arvind Kejriwal for remembering me in his opening remarks at his presser. The court has punctured the ridiculous claims of prosecuting agencies, egged on by micromanaging Political Masters who act as master puppeteers. Amidst such an ambience of fear and intimidation, for law and justice to emerge victorious is no mean achievement," he wrote.
The case 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.
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.
With the Special Court's order discharging all accused, the matter at the trial court stage has concluded for now. The legality of that order will now be examined by the Delhi High Court following the CBI's challenge. (ANI)