Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday extended his greetings to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia after the court discharged them in the tax policy case, noting that they were steadfast in their claim of innocent.
“Congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. They have been consistent in claiming that they are innocent and that this is a political issue. Delhi voters have, to a very large extent, punished the Aam Aadmi Party because of the perception created around Kejriwal and Sisodia…” he said.
The Prime Minister further stated that there should be a presumption of innocence during the case before concluding that the “involved politician” is guilty.
“The fact that the courts have released them is very important, and I think this is something that the media should take into account. There should be a presumption of innocence. Unfortunately, more often than not, we now tend to assume guilt. You automatically assume that all politicians who have allegations against them are guilty and that they must prove their innocence. Whereas the opposite is true: you have to assume innocence, and the agencies must prove guilt, which in this case they could not do…,” he added.
These statements come after the court’s decision to dismiss former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others in the Delhi tax policy case.
The case arose out of allegations of corruption in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The CBI alleged that the policy was made to favor some private liquor license holders by reducing license fees and fixing profit margins, resulting in kickbacks and financial losses to the Delhi government.
The FIR was registered by the CBI in August 2022 following a complaint filed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. According to the agency, a criminal conspiracy was allegedly hatched at the policy formulation stage, with loopholes deliberately inserted to benefit selected entities after the tender process.
With the Special Court’s order acquitting all the accused, the matter at the first instance court stage has ended for the time being. The legality of this order will now be examined by the Delhi High Court following the appeal filed by the CBI.
