Kamal Ghorui
Arvind Kejriwal comes home to his family after the court verdict.
NEW DELHI: It was an emotional moment at the Kejriwal household on Friday after the names of former Delhi chief minister Arvind and his deputy CM Manish Sisodia were cleared in the liquor excise policy case.Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were welcomed with flowers, tight embraces and emotional scenes after a Delhi court discharged them, refusing to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet.
The atmosphere at Kejriwal house turned celebratory as Kejriwal and Sisodia was greeted with bouquets and hugs from family members and supporters. Arvind’s wife Sunita Kejriwal and their children embraced him as he arrived, marking an emotional moment after months of legal battles. Sisodia was also surrounded by party colleagues and supporters who congratulated him on the court’s decision.The Rouse Avenue Court discharged both leaders in the excise policy case, observing that the alleged central conspiratorial role could not be substantiated. The court noted that the allegations had “failed judicial scrutiny” and found “no criminal intent” on the part of Sisodia, adding that the conspiracy theory “cannot survive against one constitutional authority.”Reacting to the verdict, Sunita Kejriwal wrote on social media: “In this world, no matter how powerful one becomes, one cannot rise above Shiva Shakti. Truth always prevails.”Visibly emotional after the verdict, Kejriwal said he had full faith in the judicial system and maintained that the case was politically motivated. “Today, the court has discharged all accused in this case. We always said that the truth emerges victorious. We have full faith in the Indian legal system. Amit Shah and Modi ji together hatched the biggest political conspiracy to finish AAP and 5 big leaders of the party were put in jail. The sitting CM was dragged out of his house and put in jail. Kejriwal is not corrupt. I have only earned honesty in my life. Today, the court has said that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are honest,” he said.Kejriwal’s counsel Vivek Jain said the court had closely examined the evidence submitted by the CBI. “The court has said that it meticulously went through all evidence produced by CBI and not a shred of allegation can be said to cross the threshold of charge. The court has discharged them, saying that there is no allegation which can be held to be true in this matter. The court has also said that the framing of the excise policy was done through institutional safeguards, and there cannot be any doubt on the mannerism and the way the policy has been framed,” he said.The CBI had filed its first chargesheet in 2022, followed by multiple supplementary chargesheets, alleging that Rs 100 crore was paid by a “south lobby” to influence the now-scrapped excise policy.A total of 23 people were chargesheeted in the case, including Kejriwal and Sisodia. They have all been cleared by the court.
