Delhi excise policy case: Kejriwal claims ‘agnipariksha’ cleared, challenges PM Modi to call fresh elections

The former Delhi chief minister used the moment to mount a political challenge, daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold Assembly elections in the national capital.

• Kejriwal, 22 others cleared in excise policy case by court
• Court criticized CBI, said its case lacked judicial credibility
• CBI has appealed discharge order; hearing set for April 6

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A day after a trial court discharged him and 22 others in the excise policy matter, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal said the verdict marked the end of a long and difficult phase, describing it as an “agnipariksha” his party had successfully passed.

The ruling also came with sharp observations against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with the court stating that the agency’s case could not withstand judicial scrutiny and stood discredited.

Referring to his silence over the past year, Kejriwal explained, “There are politicians who are thick-skinned. But I am a common man like you. If someone says that Kejriwal is a dishonest person then I feel bad. I had decided that I will keep quiet till the court gives the verdict.” He indicated that the judgment had now given him the opportunity to respond publicly.

The former Delhi chief minister used the moment to mount a political challenge, daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold Assembly elections in the national capital. According to him, if polls were conducted now, the Bharatiya Janata Party would struggle electorally. He claimed that “BJP will win not even 10 seats, while the AAP will bag more than 60 seats.”

He also alleged that his party had been deliberately targeted, stating that the BJP “put behind bars five of our leaders and grabbed power in Delhi.”

Emphasising the ordeal faced by his colleagues, Kejriwal remarked, “It was not easy. There were difficulties at every step. We faced the worst of the situation...”

Drawing a comparison with the Ramayana, he said, “When Lord Ram defeated Ravan and came back to Ayodhya, even Sita Mata had to undergo agnipariksha,” suggesting that his party too had been tested under intense scrutiny before being cleared.

While the trial court’s 601-page order, delivered by Jitendra Singh of Rouse Avenue, found no prima facie case in the material presented by the CBI and even called for a departmental inquiry against the investigating officer, the legal battle is not over yet.

The CBI has challenged the discharge order before the Delhi High Court. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma has asked Kejriwal and the other accused to file their responses by April 5, with the matter scheduled for hearing on April 6.

At the same time, Kejriwal has moved the Supreme Court against a separate decision of the Delhi High Court chief justice, who declined his request to transfer the case away from Justice Sharma’s bench.