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Informist, Monday, Mar. 9, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court Monday stayed a trial court order that directed a probe against the Central Bureau of Investigation's investigating officer for its conduct in investigating Delhi liquor policy case involving 23 accused, including Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. On Feb. 27, the trial court had ordered departmental action against the investigating officer, observing that he showed a "complete disregard" for facts while prosecuting the case.

 

The high court issued notices to Kejriwal, Sisodia and others on Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal against the trial court's Feb. 27 order discharging the accused in the liquor policy case probed by the investigating agency. It will hear the case next on Mar. 16.

 

The high court asked the trial court to defer the proceedings on the Enforcement Directorate's probe on the liquor policy case till it decides the Central Bureau of Investigation's appeal. The Enforcement Directorate is probing the money laundering aspect in the liquor policy case.

 

In its petition, the Central Bureau of Investigation had argued that the order passed by the trial court was "patently illegal, perverse and suffers from errors apparent on the face". The lower court essentially conducted a mini-trial and dealt with separate limbs of conspiracy in isolation, said the Central Bureau of Investigation. "The Ld(learned) Special Judge(of trial court) has passed the impugned order on a selective reading of the prosecution case, disregarding the material showing the culpability of the accused," it said.

 

Further, the trial court's order directing departmental action against the CBI officer who investigated the case was "shocking to say the least". The probe agency had sought a stay on the directions issued by the court to initiate an investigation against its officer.

 

Special Judge Jitendra Singh of the trial court had said the prosecution's case did not disclose even the threshold of a prima facie suspicion, far less the "grave suspicion" mandated by settled principles of criminal jurisprudence, for proceeding further. The Delhi excise policy case, as sought to be projected by the CBI, is wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stands discredited in its entirety, said Judge Singh.

 

The Delhi government had in November 2021 announced a new excise policy that allowed private companies to sell liquor in the national capital. The policy was withdrawn after allegations of cartelisation and monopoly. The CBI registered a case in the excise policy case in July 2022 on a complaint from then Delhi's lieutenant governor V.K. Saxena. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have alleged that AAP took money from a liquor lobby in South India to announce the new policy. They had termed Kejriwal as the kingpin and key conspirator in the scam.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

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