Liquor policy case: Delhi HC asks AAP leaders to reply to CBI’s plea

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh to respond to CBI’s plea against an order over supply of documents in the 2021-22 liquor policy case.

Issuing notice to the accused persons, Justice Ravinder Dudeja said it would pass a detailed order on the matter.

The CBI was challenging the trial court’s May 22 order, directing the probe agency to include all its notices and written communications sent to witnesses and accused, aside from the replies received, in the list of unrelied documents if the agency wasn’t relying on them in trial. The trial court said the list should be filed before it and a copy must be shared with the accused for an opportunity to inspect the documents.

The CBI was also contesting the trial court directive to the investigating officer (IO) to file an affidavit confirming no other notice or communication was omitted from the relied or unrelied documents.

Besides, the trial court asked the IO to file affidavits on other issues. The CBI’s counsel argued in the high court that the trial court couldn’t have asked it to provide such documents as the notices were the tools of investigation and not evidence.

The judge asked the CBI counsel about the prejudice caused to the agency in case it provided such details.

The court was informed it would set a precedent in all future cases and amount to rewriting the laws. On the contrary, the counsel appearing for some of the accused persons argued that the CBI feared its “entire faulty investigation” would be exposed if the details were provided.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously moved the high court against a trial court’s order directing it to supply “unrelied documents” to the accused in its case surrounding the money laundering aspect.

Former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal, AAP leaders Sisodia and Singh and BRS leader K Kavitha are accused in

the case aside from other business persons.