New Delhi: After the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi discharged all the accused, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, in the alleged liquor scam, the High Court on Monday issued notices to all 23 accused. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party has now taken an aggressive stance on the entire issue, demanding the cancellation of the Delhi Assembly elections and holding them again.
On Monday, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh submitted a Zero Hour notice in Parliament demanding a discussion on the issue. He alleged that a conspiracy was hatched against an elected democratic government and that central investigative agencies were misused to influence the election results. Sanjay Singh made extremely scathing remarks in his notice submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General.
He stated that the arrests of Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and other leaders in the Delhi excise policy case were completely illegal. According to Singh, “The democratically elected government was defamed by being implicated in a web of false cases. This wasn’t just the arrest of leaders, but an attempt to conspire and alter the mandate of the people of Delhi.”
Citing recent court observations, the MP said that the investigating agencies had failed to present prima facie evidence. He said that the judiciary also acknowledged that the case was based solely on conjectures and speculation, which have no legal basis.
Agencies have become ‘caged parrots,’ accountability must be fixed.
Sanjay Singh raised serious questions about the functioning of investigative agencies, saying that the independence of institutions like the CBI and ED is under threat today. Citing statistics, he said that more than 7,072 corruption cases are pending in courts, many of which are two decades old. He said, “When investigating agencies ultimately fail to produce credible evidence in court, it becomes clear that the arrests were made not for justice but to suppress political opponents. Such use of agencies undermines the principle of a ‘level playing field’ in democracy.”
Key Demands: Cancellation of Elections and New Legal Protections
Sanjay Singh has placed several demands before the government through the House. He called for a re-election in Delhi. Since the previous election was fought under the shadow of ‘false allegations,’ it should be cancelled and a fresh election should be held. Secondly, concrete legislative changes should be made to ensure genuine autonomy for the CBI and ED. A fixed time limit should be set for the disposal of pending corruption cases. Finally, he called for holding officials who take action motivated by political malice accountable. Currently, all eyes are on whether the Rajya Sabha Chairman will accept Sanjay Singh’s notice.
