New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday launched a scathing attack on AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal Earlier, a special court challenged former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s “kattar imandaar” (brutal honesty) claim and freed him and 22 others in the Delhi excise policy case.Reacting to the court order, Gupta said: “This could be a lower court decision. We all know how evidence was tampered with when this happened. Around 150 mobile phones were destroyed and data deleted. If you (Arvind Kejriwal) are right, why was the liquor policy withdrawn at the outset of the investigation?”
Gupta accused Kejriwal of presiding over irregularities in the now-defunct Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, claiming traders’ commission was increased from 5% to 12% and the industry was being pushed towards privatization.“Can you say it is right that Delhi is giving away a bottle of liquor and a bottle of liquor for free? The High Court and the Supreme Court have also expressed concern. Evidence of money laundering has been found. And today you are bragging about honesty?” she said.She further targeted Kejriwal for other alleged irregularities, including the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ controversy and alleged school infrastructure issues, claiming that several projects remained incomplete despite rising costs.“Didn’t you deceive the people of Delhi in the Shish Mahal case? Didn’t you deceive the people of Delhi in the school scam?… You committed a scam worth crores of rupees in Delhi. You used toilets as classrooms. Projects that cost double are still pending. Before you Of so many schemes, scams are emerging every day till today, you sanctioned Rs 10 crore and spent Rs 150 crore… The people of Delhi have delivered their money and there will be justice for the money of the people of Delhi that you have embezzled,” Gupta added.When Kejriwal said that he and AAP were “Kattar imandaar”, Gupta said, “Even today, you are doing drama. You are the one who wears a size 44 shirt when size 42 is suitable to show how ordinary I am… You don’t talk about anything less than a private jet, you say I am an ordinary person and I am an honest person.”This comes after the special court released all 23 accused, including Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, in the CBI case related to Delhi’s excise policy 2021-22. Special Judge (PC Act) Jitender Singh of Rouse Avenue Court held that the prosecution had failed to establish even a prima facie case and said the charges were “legally untenable, unsustainable and unfit to be pursued further”. The court criticized the investigative approach taken by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), saying the agency’s theory was based on speculation rather than admissible evidence. It also warned against using approver statements to fill gaps in the prosecution case and recommended a departmental inquiry against certain CBI officials.However, the CBI has challenged the case in the Delhi High Court and sought to stay it, maintaining the legal battle.Meanwhile, Kejriwal hailed the trial court’s verdict as proving his and the integrity of the Aam Aadmi Party. He claimed at a press conference that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah “had hatched a conspiracy against him” as they could not defeat AAP politically.“The court’s 600-page order said there is not a shred of evidence that the matter can be filed. Kejriwal and AAP are ‘kattar imandaar’,” he said, even challenging the Center to hold fresh Delhi Assembly elections.The case stems from corruption allegations in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22 introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The CBI alleged that the policy was intended to benefit certain private liquor license holders by reducing license fees and fixing profit margins, thereby causing kickbacks and financial losses to the Delhi government.An FIR was registered with the CBI in August 2022 following a complaint by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. According to the agency, a criminal conspiracy was allegedly hatched during the policy formulation stage and loopholes were deliberately introduced to benefit the selected entities after the tender process.The trial court stage of the case has come to an end temporarily as the special court ordered the release of all the accused. The Delhi High Court will review the legality of the order following a challenge by the CBI.
