Oppn leaders hail relief for Kejriwal, Sisodia in Delhi excise policy case

Opposition leaders backed Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia after a Delhi court granted them relief in the excise policy case, with AAP calling the verdict proof that corruption allegations were politically motivated

New Delhi: Opposition leaders on Friday rallied behind former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia after a Delhi court granted them relief in the excise policy case, with AAP leader Sanjay Singh calling the verdict proof that the allegations were part of a larger political conspiracy.

Posting on X, Singh wrote: “The court has acquitted our leaders. It has been proven that a dangerous conspirator is ruling over the country’s power. Who hatched a conspiracy to defame the country’s most popular honest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the most capable honest Education Minister Manish Sisodia, and the finest honest party, AamAadmiParty.

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Singh further mentioned, “Our leaders were tortured in jail. Apologize to the country @narendramodi.” Several opposition leaders also reacted to the verdict. Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP of Shiv Sena(UBT), posted on X: “They fought the lies, the propaganda, the toxic political agenda and ensured truth & justice prevailed. Well done @ArvindKejriwal ji and @msisodia ji!” Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra, MP from Trinamool Congress, wrote: “Satyameva Jayate! BJP learn your lesson while there is still time. All your dirty tricks, your ED, your CBI – all these puppets will die in the face of truth. Congratulations @ArvindKejriwal.”

The remarks came after the Rouse Avenue Court granted major relief to Kejriwal and Sisodia in the high-profile Delhi Liquor Excise Policy case, observing that there was no evidence to substantiate the charges against them.

The court emphasised that a fair investigation is essential for a fair trial and noted that the prosecution failed to prove its case or establish any criminal conspiracy. Earlier, both leaders were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI in connection with alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the scrapped excise policy.

The CBI had filed its initial charge sheet in 2022, followed by supplementary charge sheets, alleging that undue benefits were extended to certain liquor license holders. However, the court found the evidence insufficient to proceed against the accused.

The verdict marks a significant political and legal victory for the Aam Aadmi Party, bringing relief to its top leadership after a legal battle that had dominated national politics for the past few years.