Saturday, February 28, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 124 | 39 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL RARE DISEASE DAY INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition GAMES NATION Jolt to Vijay ahead of TN polls as wife files divorce case, accuses him of infidelity LIQUOR POLICY | Delhi ex-CM, Sisodia & 21 others discharged. CBI’s charges unable to survive judicial scrutiny, says court Total lack of evidence sinks case against Kejri FPJ News Service NEW DELHI A Delhi court on Friday discharged all 23 accused, including former Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, in the corruption case related to the alleged 2021-22 excise policy scam. In a strongly worded order running into 598 pages, Special Judge Jitendra Singh of Rouse Avenue Courts rapped the CBI for lapses in investigation and said the prosecution failed to disclose even the threshold of a prima facie suspicion against the accused. The court also ordered the initiation of departmental proceedings against the CBI Investigating Officer, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. The judge held that the prosecution failed to place any material showing that Kejriwal, accused no. 18 in the case, received or facilitated receipt of bribe money. The allegations against him were based on statements of co-accused or witnesses, but the Court noted the absence of independent corroboration connecting him to any criminal conspiracy. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation Wrath over ‘No quid pro South Group quo proof’ The Delhi court ordered departmental proceedings against the CBI investigating officer in the excise policy case, calling the probe “pre-meditated and choreographed.” Special Judge Jitendra Singh said there was “no material at all” to name Deputy Excise Commissioner Kuldeep Singh as accused number one. It also flagged a “self-contradictory stance” in listing suspects as prosecution witnesses. The Delhi Court criticised the CBI’s repeated use of the term “South Group.” The Court called the region-based label arbitrary and unwarranted, warning that it risks prejudice and undermines fairness. It said criminal proceedings must remain “dispassionate, evidence-centric” and consistent with Articles 21 and 15 of the Constitution. The CBI moved the Delhi High Court challenging discharge of 23 accused in the excise policy case. The trial court ruled, “There was no overarching conspiracy or criminal intent in the excise policy,” and said no prima facie case was made out against the accused. ANIL AMBANI SKIPS ED SUMMONS PTI Kejriwal described the Delhi court order as a “historic verdict” and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had hatched a conspiracy to finish off the Aam In a nearly 600-page verdict, Special Judge Jitendra Singh cited hearsay evidence, unreliable approvers and lack of proof of quid pro quo or conspiracy. The court found no material linking the accused to criminal intent. Quoting “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” it strongly indicted the probe. FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Delhi court raised serious concerns over the ED’s functioning under the PMLA. Special Judge Jitendra Singh flagged what he described as a “disturbing inversion of the statutory scheme”, noting that ED often proceeds with arrests and files prosecution Aadmi Party (AAP) through a “fake” case, which he called part of the “biggest political conspiracy” in independent India’s history. Kejriwal said Special Judge Jitendra Singh showed “tremendous courage” in passing the order “under the existing circumstances when all institutions are under assault”. “The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are ‘Kattar Imaandar’,” he said. Slamming the BJP, Kejriwal said he had earned only honesty and reputation in his entire life, which was being attacked through a “fake” liquor scam case. 4Contd on | nation Ashish Singh MUMBAI Charul Shah Joshi MUMBAI Agencies MUMBAI 4Contd on | nation The court also rejected ED’s plea seeking intervention and objecting to the closure report. The EOW had registered the case in August 2019 on the directions of the Bombay high court while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Arora. Based on this FIR, the ED had initiated a money-laundering probe. However, with the closure of the predicate offence, the money-laundering case cannot stand independently. Canadian PM Mark Carney arrived in Mumbai on Friday on his first official visit to India. The four-day trip focuses on economic engagement and resetting ties. He was received at the airport by Maharashtra’s Minister of Protocol and Marketing, Jayakumar Rawal. Carney said on X: “India is world’s fastest-growing major economy. We just arrived in Mumbai to meet business leaders — and forge partnerships that will unlock new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses.” 4See also | city 4Contd on | nation Maha in `12k cr teak pledge relief Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI The state government may be grappling with financial strain due to welfare schemes such as the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, but its forest reserves could offer relief. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Friday told the State Council that teak plantations worth Rs 12,000 crore could be leveraged to raise Rs 6,000 crore to meet Forest Department’s needs. During Question Hour, members cutting across party lines raised concerns over forest protection, infrastructure upgrades and routine needs of forest staff, particularly in the buffer zone of the Navegaon– Nagzira Tiger Reserve. Naik said forest assets could be monetised to bridge funding gaps. Teakwood cultivated and available for harvesting under Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) is valued at Rs 12,000 crore. 4Contd on | nation A Delhi court on Friday held that investigations by CBI and ED cannot be allowed to enter the “political arena” merely on allegations of excessive election spending by a political party, as it discharged AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Telangana Jagruthi founder K Kavitha and 20 others in the alleged liquor policy corruption case. Special Judge Jitendra Singh of Rouse Avenue Courts said permitting such a course would lead to the “criminalisation of electoral competition” and arm the executive with “coercive instruments capable of influencing political outcomes,” Live Law reports. powers under PMLA TRADE PITCH KICKS OFF CARNEY VISIT A month after the death of NCP leader Ajit Pawar, a special court for cases against MPs and MLAs on Friday accepted the closure report filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative (MSC) Bank fraud case valued at Rs 25,000 crore, which was registered in 2019. While accepting the closure report — first submitted in September 2020 and later after further investigation in 2022 and 2024 — the court rejected protest petitions filed by the original complainants, including Andheri-based businessman Surinder Arora and social activist Kisan Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare. FPJ News Service NEW DELHI ANGELS OF MUMBAI 2025 AWARD FELICITATION: Eleven change-makers were honoured at the culmination of Season 2025 of Angels of Mumbai, The Free Press Journal’s initiative that celebrates individuals creating meaningful social impact across sectors.The chief guests, Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Mayor of Mumbai Ritu Tawde and philanthropist Ronnie Screwvala, gave away the awards. FPJ News Service Bank case against Ajit Pawar closed Industrialist Anil Ambani on Friday skipped a summons issued by ED in connection with its money-laundering probe into the alleged Yes Bank loan fraud case, officials said. The fresh summons was issued a day after ED questioned him for over 10 hours in a separate Rs 40,000-crore bank fraud-linked PMLA case involving group entities, including Reliance Communications (RCOM). On Thursday, he was asked to appear again on Friday in connection with Yes Bank-linked deals. ‘KEEP CBI, ED PROBES AWAY FROM POLITICS’ ‘OPEN WAR’ AS PAKISTAN, Court flags ED arrest AFGHANISTAN SLUG IT OUT ‘Fake case, verdict historic’ NEW DELHI Edit Myanmar stands at crossroads in the endless war over riches 4Contd on | nation IO under scanner CBI opposes order in HC Cinema Check out our verdict on the latest film releases Rinku Singh’s father Khanchand Singh dies after battle with liver cancer in Lucknow 420 dead in animal attacks orest Minister Ganesh Naik told the State Council 420 people have died in wild animal attacks across Maharashtra over the past five years. Of these, 104 fatalities were caused by tigers and leopards, he said in response to a question raised by Praveen Darekar and other members. Interestingly, in a written reply to the Assembly, Naik had said 394 persons died between 2021–22 and 2025–26 (till December 2025), indicating a variation in the figures placed before the two Houses. Naik said Chandrapur district alone recorded 47 deaths last year, with Rs 8.27 crore disbursed as financial assistance to the families of the victims. The East Vidarbha district, which has more than 200 tigers, remains one of the worst affected regions. Between 2023 and 2025, 91 people were killed in tiger attacks there. F complaints even before facts of the corresponding predicate offence are judicially tested, Bar & Bench reports. Singh observed cases under PMLA imperil an individual’s liberty on the basis of a presumption of “proceeds of crime” arising out of scheduled offences. 4Contd on | nation MUMBAI Pakistan and Afghanistan have slid into their most serious military confrontation in years, with both sides declaring heavy casualties, launching airstrikes and describing the conflict as an “open war” along the volatile Durand Line border. Pakistan said its forces killed 274 Taliban fighters during ongoing military operations, while acknowledging the loss of two of its own security per- sonnel. Afghanistan’s Taliban government, however, offered a dramatically different account, claiming 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory strikes, while eight of its fighters died. Neither side has produced verifiable evidence to support its claims. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world