Kejriwal, 22 others cleared in excise policy case

28 FEBRUARY 2026

In a major victory for the Aam Aadmi Party, a special court discharged party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the politically charged liquor policy case.
- Mr. Kejriwal hailed the order and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for orchestrating what he called the “biggest political conspiracy in Independent India”.

Court verdict

Closing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s lawsuit, Special Judge Jitendra Singh of the Rouse Avenue Court observed that the case relied on hearsay evidence, had major procedural lapses, and violated constitutional principles.
The court termed the probe a “premeditated and choreographed exercise”, wherein roles appear to have been retrospectively assigned to suit a preconceived narrative.

Order for departmental inquiry against “erring investigating officer”

In its 598-page order, the court also directed a departmental inquiry against the “erring investigating officer” who framed charges against the accused in the absence of material evidence.

Sitting CM was dragged to jail

Hailing the verdict, Mr. Kejriwal said that “truth has triumphed”. Hitting out at the PM and BJP, he said that for the first time in the history of independent India, a sitting CM was dragged to jail and kept there for six months under a false case.
Mr. Kejriwal had spent five months in jail while Mr Sisodia was incarcerated for 17 months in the case.
They were granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2024, months before the Delhi Assembly election, in which the AAP lost its majority in the capital for the first time in 10 years.
Former Bharat Rashtra Samithi MP K. Kavitha was also among those discharged by the court.

Excise Policy/ Liqour Scam case

The case stems from a complaint lodged by Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, who alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of Delhi’s excise policy in 2020.
The initial FIR was lodged by the CBI. In the chargesheet, which runs into thousands of pages, the agency alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fees were waived or reduced, and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval.
The beneficiaries of the alleged scam diverted their “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of accounts to evade detection, it said.