New Delhi: In a major legal relief for the Aam Aadmi Party, a Delhi court on Friday acquitted former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia in the alleged excise policy corruption case, ruling that there was no evidence of any larger conspiracy or criminal intent behind the now-scrapped liquor policy.
According to court observations cited in media reports, the prosecution failed to establish an “overarching conspiracy” in the formulation or implementation of the excise policy, delivering a significant setback to the case that had rocked Delhi politics.
Reacting strongly to the verdict, Kejriwal alleged that his arrest was part of a “political conspiracy” orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to dismantle the AAP.
“Modi-ji and Amit Shah-ji together hatched the biggest conspiracy in independent India to finish the AAP. Five of our top leaders were jailed. For the first time, a sitting Chief Minister was dragged from his residence and arrested,” Kejriwal said, launching a sharp attack on the BJP leadership.
An emotional Kejriwal defended his former deputy, noting that Sisodia had spent nearly two years behind bars. “The entire case was fabricated. We were defamed. I was branded corrupt. Today, the court has shown that Kejriwal is not corrupt. I have earned only honesty in my life,” he said.
Kejriwal’s arrest had marked a dramatic turn for the AAP, a party that emerged from the anti-corruption movement and reshaped Delhi’s political landscape. Following his release on bail, he stepped down as Chief Minister and handed over the reins to his trusted colleague Atishi ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections — a contest that ultimately saw the BJP sweep back to power in the national capital.
With Friday’s acquittal, the long-running legal battle over the liquor policy appears to have reached a decisive turning point, even as political sparring between the AAP and the BJP is set to intensify.
