Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and 22 others, including AAP leader Manish Sisodia and BRS leader K. Kavitha, were acquitted by a Rouse Avenue court on Friday in the widely publicised Delhi excise policy case, a ruling that has reignited political confrontation between Kejriwal and the central government. The court ordered the release of the accused and delivered a nearly 600-page judgment sharply critical of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), finding that prosecutors failed to produce credible evidence to support allegations of a large-scale criminal conspiracy.
The judgment said the prosecution did not present the minimum ingredients required to bring the matter to trial, prompting the court to dismiss the charges against all 23 accused. Kejriwal hailed the verdict as a “victory of truth,” saying the court had established that the case was “entirely baseless and fabricated.” He emerged from custody to address reporters, renewing bitter accusations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah engineered a political conspiracy to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party and remove him from power.
Kejriwal described the episode as the biggest political conspiracy in independent India and charged that, driven by a hunger for power, authorities had ruined the lives of three crore Delhi residents over the past year. He also challenged Prime Minister Modi to call fresh elections in Delhi “if he has the courage,” and reiterated a pledge — first stated after the recent election defeat — that he would quit politics if the BJP won more than ten seats in a hypothetical re-run.
The case stems from allegations that the excise policy involved roughly Rs 100 crore in transactions to favour specific groups. Those allegations led to the arrest of Manish Sisodia in 2023 and Kejriwal’s own arrest in 2024. While AAP had swept Delhi elections in 2015 and 2020, the party won only 22 seats in the 2025 assembly poll, with the BJP taking 48. Kejriwal said that electoral defeat and the ensuing investigations have left Delhi residents frustrated with the BJP’s governance.
The acquittal has injected fresh energy into AAP’s ranks, with party supporters seeing the court’s verdict as vindication. The ruling is likely to intensify political debate in Delhi and at the national level, as both AAP leaders and the central government respond to the court’s criticisms of investigative procedures and the broader political fallout from the case.
Original Source: https://assam.nenow.in/hold-elections-again-if-bjp-gets-10-seats-i-will-leave-politics-kejriwals-challenge-after-being-exonerated/
Category: দেশ,শীর্ষ সংবাদ
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Publish Date: 2026-02-27 21:50:00
