It was a legit “waqt badal diya, jazbaat badal diye” moment. 

Below you can find all the relevant details.

What’s the ruling? 

According to Special Judge Jitender Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court, he discharges the defendants because there was no prima facie evidence of a crime based upon evidence presented by the Central Bureau Of Investigation during their investigation. The Judge also issued a 598-page ruling that describes a lack of an overarching conspiracy and therefore directs that the investigation presented no evidence of any criminal intent.

The prosecution relied too heavily on evidentiary sources, including the testimony of a co-defendant, and failed to provide independent corroborating testimony to give grounding to their case. 

The Judge stated that investigators tried to build a case for conspiracy but they lacked the most ingredient recipe for it, which is hard core proof. The Judge has referred to the CBI’s investigation as poorly executed and recommended that an inquiry be conducted against CBI officials at the Departmental level.

What Were The Allegations? 

The CBI has claimed that the Delhi Government manipulated their 2021 Excise Policy to benefit private liquor vendors. According to investigators, people who benefited from these changes paid approximately ₹100 crores to influence the process by which the Policy was created and put into place! WOAH! 

The Authorities accuse the Aam Aadmi Party’s leadership of providing special benefits to private vendors and assisting them in the transfer of what are commonly referred to as ‘bribe funds.’ 

CBI investigators have named 23 different individuals in this case and have included Kejriwal among those that will be charged with an offence.

In the end, the court concluded that there were no materials available to suggest that Kejriwal had received anything of value through illegal means. It also said that he did not  assist in moving any money associated with the receipt of bribes. 

Before the verdict, THIS happened 

This case’s roots take us back to the year 2021. In 2021, the Delhi Government implemented a new Excise Policy, with regards to which, the Government stated that the new Policy would stop the black market, raise revenues from the sale of liquor and have a transparent process to issue liquor licenses.

The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigate alleged irregularities relating to a policy decision in July 2022 and withdrew the policy later that same year.

In 2023, investigators arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh, as well as Arvind Kejriwal, the party leader. Kejriwal was arrested a few weeks before India’s general elections in March 2024. He and other defendants had bail applications rejected in lower courts and again in the Delhi High Court before the Supreme Court ultimately granted him bail.

This investigation was one of the highest profile cases involving an opposition chief minister in recent years. After spending several months in jail, Kejriwal eventually obtained bail! 

What Did The Court Say About Criminal Intent?

The court made an important observation regarding the legal standard for determining if an individual has criminal motive or intent. The judge said that, while there is a presumption that public policy decisions do not involve criminal intent, there should be good proof of a dishonest motive or quid pro quo before a court would hold someone criminally liable.

The judge also made comments on the reliance on approvers by the agency and said that it may not be sufficient in the absence of corroboration. He cautioned that allowing this type of investigative practice could violate fundamental constitutional principles. 

Political Parties’ Reactions 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the ruling was a vindication and framed the decision as evidence that the investigative authorities were targeting them for political purposes. 

After the ruling was announced, Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of AAP, spoke to his supporters stating that he had achieved nothing but “honesty and respect.” He said that his political adversaries were conspiring against him to damage his image in the public sphere, and after the decision was announced in his favour, he conducted a roadshow celebrating the new-found relief.

What will happen next? 

No, the litigation has not concluded, no legal process in India is this short, bro. 

Subsequent to the discharge order, the CBI has appealed to the Delhi High Court to overturn the ruling and the CBI has expressed its motive to appeal and challenge the ruling.

What’s the “Witch-Hunt” rumour? 

The discharge further fuelled an ongoing political debate surrounding political targeting by central agencies (like the CBI and the enforcement agency) against political rivals, particularly in the lead-up to an election.

The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his later discharge weeks before the 2024 general election has intensified this whole hoopla of events. His supporters are saying that the timing of the arrest, the length of time he spent in custody before he was discharged and the discharge itself looks sus all in all, and it like a form of political targeting.

Despite all of this, the court did not determine that there was any evidence that investigators engaged in political targeting or if the investigation itself was politically motivated. The judge found that he would only evaluate the case based on the evidentiary standard for conviction and as a result, he also found that while the investigation was questionable, there was no indication that investigators acted with some kind of political malice.