Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged excise policy case, firmly denied blaming his colleague Manish Sisodia during his court appearance on Wednesday.
“I have never given any statement saying that Manish Sisodia is guilty. I have given statement that Aam Aadmi Party, Manish Sisodia & me (Kejriwal) are not guilty,” Kejriwal asserted in the city court, refuting claims made by the CBI. He accused the CBI of attempting to defame the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by sensationalizing the issue. “CBI’s motive is to defame us. I have never issued any such statement. They are sensationalising the issue. CBI’s idea is to give sensational headlines to the media that Kejriwal shifted the entire blame on Manish Sisodia,” Kejriwal stated.
The CBI, in its application seeking Kejriwal’s custody, argued that the Delhi CM’s custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the “larger conspiracy” in the case. The agency claimed Kejriwal needed to be confronted with evidence and other accused individuals to elucidate the trail of ₹44 crore, allegedly moved through hawala channels to Goa. Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh highlighted that Kejriwal allegedly deflected blame onto Sisodia and denied knowledge of Vijay Nair’s involvement under his supervision.
“Kejriwal had said that Nair was working with Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi Marlena, and the CM is pushing the entire onus on Manish Sisodia & saying that he has no idea about the excise policy,” Singh told the court. Additionally, Singh pointed to evidence suggesting that Chanpreet Singh used proceeds of crime to pay for Kejriwal’s stay in Goa.
Kejriwal’s counsel, Vikram Chaudhari, criticized the remand application as “totally vague” and a “classic case of abuse of power.” He emphasized the need for adherence to the principles outlined in the Arnesh Kumar and Satinder Kumar Antil cases, advocating for their application in both “letter and spirit.”
Sources By Agencies
