Delhi Excise Scam: High Court Grants Time To Kejriwal, Other Accused To File Their Replies

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday granted time to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other accused in the Delhi Excise Scam to file their responses to a CBI petition challenging the trial court's order to acquit them.

A bench headed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma directed the next hearing of the case to be held on April 6. During the hearing on the day, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, stated that copies of the petition had already been served to all the accused and that notices had also been served.

The court then stated that no response had been received from the accused. Advocate N Hariharan, representing Kejriwal, stated that he had filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting that the case be listed before another Bench. Mehta then stated that this could not be a basis for postponing the hearing.

Hariharan then stated that he was not in charge of the Supreme Court's registry. In response, Mehta stated there was no need to hear a response as this was an extraordinary order. The court then said, "Let them file a reply."

Hariharan stated that the order was not in the CBI's favour, and therefore, he considered it to be 'incorrect'. The court then directed the next hearing of the case to be held on April 6.

On March 9, the High Court has issued notices to all the accused, including Kejriwal and stayed the trial court's adverse comments against the CBI. The High Court also ordered the trial court not to proceed with the money laundering case related to the Delhi Excise Scam.

On February 27, the Rouse Avenue Court had acquitted all the accused while arguing that the chargesheet contained significant contradictions. The court stated that the facts presented in the thousands of pages of the chargesheet did not match the statements of witnesses.

The Rouse Avenue Court stated that former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia had spent approximately 530 days in jail in the case. Similarly, Kejriwal had spent 156 days in jail in two consecutive periods and was released on September 13, 2024, after the Supreme Court granted him bail.

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