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New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia appeared at Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday, March 14. Both leaders submitted Rs 50,000 personal surety bonds each after being officially discharged in the CBI’s Excise Policy corruption case. Their appearance marked the next legal step following the court’s clearance, putting the spotlight back on the high-profile case that had drawn nationwide attention.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were discharged along with all 23 after a 1,000+ paragraph judgement found no evidence of conspiracy or irregularities in the now-defunct excise policy discharge.

The investigation had accused the AAP government that they designed the excise policy to benefit certain private liquor companies in exchange for rewards. However, the court found that the policy decisions were made after proper consultations and dismissed the CBI’s claims of a wide-ranging conspiracy in the corruption case, noting a lack of supporting witnesses or recovered evidence in the alleged liquor policy scam.

This ruling strengthens the AAP’s argument that the case was politically motivated, allowing Kejriwal and Sisodia to avoid trial for now.

After the trial court’s February 27 refusal to frame charges against the AAP leaders, the CBI has filed a criminal revision petition in the Rouse Avenue Court. Earlier this week, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notices to the accused and put a hold on any adverse remarks directed at a CBI officer.

Ex-Delhi CM Kejriwal and other accused in the case have also urged Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya to reassign Sharma’s bench petition, citing procedural concerns as a matter of the roster.

According to the statement released by the party on Wednesday, the AAP convener Kejriwal and others have accused Justice Sharma of biasness in a written representation to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.