New Delhi, May 25 (H.S.): In the Delhi excise policy case, a petition challenging the trial court’s order acquitting 23 accused will be heard by a bench headed by Justice Manoj Jain on July 16. Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia, and Durgesh Pathak are expected to participate in the proceedings before the bench.

Earlier, Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Pathak had boycotted hearings before the bench of Justice Swarnakanta Sharma. On May 19, the bench headed by Justice Manoj Jain had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to inform Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Pathak that the bench hearing the matter had been changed.

During Monday’s hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, informed the court that notices had been duly served to all three accused and that a report to this effect had been filed by the agency. The court observed that their vakalatnamas had been received by the registry and stated that it would hear the arguments of all accused persons.

During the proceedings on May 19, the court noted that no one had appeared on behalf of Kejriwal, Sisodia, or Pathak. The court observed that the matter was widely reported in the media and therefore it should be assumed that the accused were aware that the case had been transferred from the bench of Justice Swarnakanta Sharma to the bench of Justice Manoj Jain. The court further remarked that once Kejriwal appears before the court, it would become clear whether he is satisfied with the bench.

Earlier, the matter was listed before the bench of Justice Swarnakanta Sharma. Kejriwal had filed an application seeking recusal of Justice Sharma from hearing the case. However, the judge had rejected the plea for recusal but later transferred the matter to another bench after initiating contempt proceedings against six Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

Following this, the case was listed before the bench of Justice Manoj Jain, while the contempt proceedings were listed before the bench of Justice Navin Chawla.

Notably, on February 27, the Rouse Avenue Court acquitted all accused persons. The court observed that the chargesheet contained several contradictions and that the evidence presented in thousands of pages did not align with witness statements. It further noted that Manish Sisodia had spent around 530 days in jail in the case, while Arvind Kejriwal had been incarcerated for 156 days in two phases. Kejriwal was released on September 13, 2024, after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in the CBI case.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar