In a significant development amid the Delhi assembly election campaign, a local court on Friday granted an exemption to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak from appearing in person in an ongoing excise case. The exemption, approved by Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, comes as the leaders are deeply involved in the electoral campaign.
The court’s decision was based on the submissions made by the AAP leaders, stating their active engagement in the election campaign, which made it impossible for them to attend the court proceedings in person. “In view of the above said submissions, the personal appearance of the applicants is exempted for today only through counsel… The case is adjourned to February 3, 2025,” announced Judge Baweja.
This legal wrangle has its roots in a money laundering investigation initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a referral from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena. He had recommended a probe to explore alleged irregularities under the AAP government’s excise policy, which reportedly extended undue advantages to certain licence holders.
The contentious policy, which was implemented on November 17, 2021, faced severe backlash and accusations of corruption, leading to its revocation by the end of September 2022. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have since been investigating the modifications made to the policy and the benefits allegedly provided to select individuals.
