BJP welcomes Delhi HC direction in excise policy case, AAP says its acquittal still stands

New Delhi (PTI): The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party engaged in a war of words on Monday, each interpreting the Delhi High Court order in the excise policy case in its favour.

The BJP welcomed the high court's directions, saying that it marked the end of the AAP's brief celebrations. The AAP, however, maintained that the court has only temporarily stopped administrative action against the CBI officials and not stayed the discharge of its leaders.

The high court on Monday sought replies from former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and 21 others on a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging a lower court's decision to discharge them in the liquor policy case.

The high court also indicated that it would stay the trial court's "prejudicial" remarks against the CBI officials.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed the high court's decision to admit the CBI petition.

"The lower court's acquittal of Kejriwal is not a very unusual development. In the past, several scam-accused leaders such as Lalu Prasad Yadav, A Raja and Kanimozhi were discharged by lower courts, and they celebrated briefly, but many were later given major punishments," he said.

On February 27, a CBI court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and other accused in the excise policy case. It also pulled up the CBI, saying that its case was wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stood discredited in its entirety.

Sachdeva said the BJP has full respect for the lower CBI court, but the manner in which the Delhi High Court has "stayed" its remarks against the CBI officials raises a question mark over its verdict.

Sachdeva said several shortcomings have been pointed out in the CBI court's decision to discharge the accused, and cited the previous AAP government's alleged disregard of the Ranjan Gogoi Committee report, attempts by an accused to influence public feedback on the draft policy, and the alleged recovery of a Rs 10 note claimed to have been used for hawala payments during the Goa elections.

He further said that by allowing the Enforcement Directorate to continue the judicial proceedings it has been pursuing, the Delhi High Court has strengthened the judicial process.

In response, the AAP maintained that the high court has only temporarily stopped the administrative action against the CBI officials, and the discharge of its leaders by the Rouse Avenue court remains the same.

"The high court did not grant any stay order on the decision of the trial court, which had discharged all the accused persons. That order still stands exactly as it is," said Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj.

He said the Central government was unsettled by the trial court's order against the CBI investigating officer.

He also alleged that the agency was like a "parrot" under the Centre.

"So whatever the higher authorities ordered, the CBI carried it out. The bosses allegedly told them to create a false and fabricated case, and the CBI did exactly that. But they were caught in court," Bharadwaj said.

The high court has said that the points raised by the Solicitor General of India on behalf of the Central government should be responded to by the other parties, and therefore it issued notices to them, the AAP leader added.