Today, On 25th May, In the excise policy case row, the Delhi High Court adjourned the Central Bureau of Investigation plea against the discharge of Arvind Kejriwal to July 16, with Justice Manoj Jain confirming the next hearing date for all parties.
A Bench of the Delhi High Court, presided over by Justice Manoj Jain, announced on Monday that it will hear all parties in the Delhi excise policy case on July 16.
The decision follows the move by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Durgesh Pathak to join the proceedings before the current Bench.
During the hearing, the Court observed,
“We will hear everyone on the next date. We will have it somewhere in July.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, suggested that if dates in July were fixed, the matter might be taken up on Wednesday.
Justice Manoj Jain responded,
“We will have it in July… we will find out from the registry, it seems some vakalatnama has been filed.”
Justice Jain said,
“They [Kejriwal and others] have filed vakalatnamas, so on the next date of hearing, we will see and draw a schedule for the hearing,”
Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Pathak had earlier boycotted the proceedings when the case was being heard by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. It was indicated on Monday that the three leaders have decided to participate before Justice Manoj Jain after the matter was transferred to his Bench.
The case relates to the CBI’s revision petition challenging a trial court order dated February 27, under which Kejriwal and other accused were discharged in the Delhi excise policy case.
Before this, the Delhi High Court directed the CBI to formally notify Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Pathak about the transfer of the matter from Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma to Justice Manoj Jain.
The Court noted that, given the transfer had been widely covered in the media, it presumed the parties concerned were aware of the reassignment.
At the previous hearing, the Court had remarked that the ideal scenario would be when everybody is here, and everybody is heard, and further stated that after all parties appeared, it would examine whether any objections existed to the roster allocation before scheduling the next hearing.
The proceedings continue alongside parallel contempt proceedings initiated by a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court against Kejriwal, Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and others over alleged remarks made targeting Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in connection with the excise policy case.
Earlier, On February 27, the trial court acquitted all 23 accused in the Delhi excise policy case, including prominent political figures Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and K Kavitha.
The trial court also sharply criticised the CBI’s investigation into the matter.
Kejriwal was arrested and remanded to custody during the 2024 Lok Sabha election period. He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court after spending 156 days in custody. Similarly, Manish Sisodia remained in jail for 530 days in connection with the case.
The CBI’s revision plea against the trial court’s discharge order was heard by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who, on March 9, made a prima facie observation that the trial court’s findings were incorrect.
After this, Kejriwal and some other accusedincluding Sisodia moved applications seeking Justice Sharma’s recusal, citing apprehension of bias.
Justice Sharma dismissed the recusal requests and decided to continue hearing the matter herself.
Case Title: CBI v. Kuldeep Singh & Ors