The CBI has challenged a Delhi court order clearing K Kavitha, Arvind Kejriwal and others in the excise policy case, as the judge flags probe lapses and seeks action against an officer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Delhi High Court challenging a special court’s decision to discharge Telangana Jagruthi president K. Kavitha, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and several others in the excise policy case.

The agency said it found significant aspects of its investigation were either overlooked or inadequately examined at the stage of framing charges. In a statement, the CBI maintained that it has promptly decided to contest the trial court’s order.

Earlier, Special Judge Jitendra Singh declined to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet and discharged the accused, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and 20 others. The court observed that there was no cogent evidence against Kejriwal and no prima facie case against Sisodia and other accused persons.

In a strongly worded 598-page order, the judge pointed to serious lapses in the probe and went a step further by recommending a departmental inquiry against an investigating officer. The court noted there was “no material at all” against one public servant who had been named as an accused and stressed that accountability was necessary to preserve institutional credibility.

The CBI has been investigating alleged irregularities in the now-withdrawn excise policy of the previous AAP government in Delhi. With the matter now headed to the High Court, the legal battle is set to intensify, keeping the politically sensitive case firmly in the spotlight.