Delhi CM Rekha Gupta slams Kejriwal after excise case discharge, calls ‘kattar imandaar’ claims “drama” | India News

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a scathing attack on the AAP national convener on Friday Arvind Kejriwal After a special court acquitted him and 22 others in the Delhi Excise Policy case after questioning former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s claim of “Kattar Imandaar” (brutally honest).Reacting to the court’s order, Gupta said, “It can be a lower court’s decision. We all know how evidence was torn when this matter came up. About 150 mobile phones were destroyed and their data deleted. If you (Arvind Kejriwal) were right, then why did you withdraw the liquor policy as soon as the investigation started?”

Gupta accused Kejriwal of presiding over irregularities in the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, alleging that the commission for traders was increased from 5 per cent to 12 per cent and the sector was being pushed towards privatisation.“Can you say that it was right for Delhi to give one bottle of liquor free along with another? The High Court and the Supreme Court also expressed concern. Evidence of money laundering was found. And today you boast of honesty?” he commented.He also targeted Kejriwal for other alleged irregularities, including the “Sheesh Mahal” controversy and alleged school infrastructure problems, claiming that several projects remained incomplete despite increased spending.“Haven’t you cheated the people of Delhi in the Sheesh Mahal case? Have you not cheated the people of Delhi in the school scam?… You have scammed Delhi worth crores of rupees. You have treated toilets as classrooms. Projects which have doubled in cost are still pending. In so many of your projects, till date, you have uncovered scams of Rs 5 crores per day and where Rs 10 crores are available. The cost has been spent… The people of Delhi have already given their verdict, And for the money you have embezzled from the people of Delhi, there will also be justice,” Gupta added.Kejriwal said he and AAP’s “Imandar of Qatar”, Gupta said, “Even today you are making drama. You are the one who wears a size 44 shirt when a size 42 fits, to show how ordinary I am… You talk of nothing less than a private jet, and you say I am an ordinary man, I am an ordinary man.”The comments came after a special court acquitted 23 accused, including Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, in a CBI case related to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. Rouse Avenue Court Special Judge (PC Act) Jitender Singh said the prosecution had failed to establish even a prima facie case, describing the charges as “legally weak, unsustainable and incapable of proceeding any further in law”. The court criticized the investigative approach adopted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), observing that the agency’s theory was based on speculation rather than admissible evidence. It also cautioned against using corroborative statements to fill gaps in the prosecution’s case and recommended a departmental inquiry against certain CBI officials.However, the CBI has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the discharge order and is trying to set it aside, keeping the legal battle alive.Meanwhile, Kejriwal hailed the trial court verdict as proof of his and the Aam Aadmi Party’s integrity. Addressing a press conference, he alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had “conspired” against him as they could not defeat AAP politically.“The court’s 600-page order says there is not even the slightest evidence of a case in this regard. Kejriwal and AAP are ‘Kattar Imandar’,” he said, even challenging the Center to hold fresh Delhi Assembly elections.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 specifically designed to benefit certain private liquor licensees by reducing license fees and fixing profit margins, resulting in kickbacks and financial losses to the Delhi government.The CBI registered the FIR in August 2022 following a complaint by Delhi Lt. Governor VK Saxena. According to the agency, a criminal conspiracy was alleged at the policy formulation stage, with deliberate loopholes introduced in favor of the selected firms after the tender process.As all the accused were acquitted by order of the special court, the matter is now over at the trial court level. The validity of that order will now be examined by the Delhi High Court following a challenge by the CBI.