Comments on excise case: AAP seeks clarification from BJP leaders

Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday questioned statements made by BJP’s Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra regarding the ongoing excise policy case, asking how they appeared confident about the outcome of a matter that is still pending before the Delhi High Court.

Addressing the media, Bharadwaj referred to a remark by Kapil Mishra who had said that “the picture is still not over.” Bharadwaj asked what Mishra meant by the statement, pointing out that the case is yet to be heard in the High Court and no verdict has been delivered. He questioned how a political leader could suggest that there is more to come in a case that is still under judicial consideration.

Bharadwaj also criticised comments attributed to Virendra Sachdeva, who reportedly said that Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak were guilty and would certainly face punishment as the legal proceedings continue. Referring to a video clip of Sachdeva’s remarks, Bharadwaj said such claims raise serious questions because the case is still before the court and the judicial process has not been completed.

According to Bharadwaj, statements suggesting that punishment is inevitable give the impression that some leaders already know what the outcome of the case will be. He asked how Sachdeva could say with certainty that the accused would be punished and what basis there was for predicting the future course of the trial.