CBI Moves Delhi HC After Kejriwal Discharge in Liquor Case

CBI challenges trial court order discharging Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the Delhi liquor policy case; Delhi High Court issues notices.

New Delhi: Days after a trial court discharged former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the alleged Delhi excise policy case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the order.

On February 27, 2026, a Special Judge at the Rouse Avenue Court Complex discharged all 23 accused in the case related to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy. The court observed that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient material to establish even a prima facie case.

In a strongly worded order, the Special Judge stated that the case could not withstand judicial scrutiny and had been “discredited in its entirety.”

“This court has no hesitation in holding that the material placed on record does not disclose even a prima facie case, much less any grave suspicion, against any of the accused persons. Accordingly, Accused Nos. 1–23 are discharged of all the offences alleged against them in the present case,” the court said.

The ruling was seen as a major relief for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose top leadership had been under investigation for nearly two years over the alleged irregularities in the excise policy.

Reacting to the verdict, Kejriwal became emotional and described the case as the “biggest political conspiracy” in the history of independent India.

However, the legal battle is far from over. On March 9, 2026, the CBI filed an appeal before the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court’s discharge order. The High Court has since issued notices to all 23 accused persons in connection with the case.

The development sets the stage for a fresh legal contest over the controversial liquor policy investigation, which has remained one of the most politically charged cases in recent years.