Delhi Court Exonerates Arvind Kejriwal and Others in Controversial Liquor Policy Case

In a significant ruling, a Delhi court has discharged former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and 21 others from the politically charged liquor policy case. The court criticized the CBI for failing to establish any substantial evidence or conspiracy, leading to Kejriwal's emotional declaration of the case being the 'biggest political conspiracy' in independent India. The CBI plans to appeal the decision, while the judge highlighted serious lapses in the agency's investigation. This ruling marks a pivotal moment for the AAP government, which faced severe scrutiny over the now-repealed excise policy.

By Narendra Chaudhary Feb 27, 2026, 14:01 IST

Court's Ruling on Liquor Policy Case

New Delhi: A Delhi court has cleared former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and 21 others of charges related to the contentious liquor policy case, criticizing the CBI for failing to establish any 'overarching conspiracy or criminal intent' within the policy.

Among those exonerated is K Kavitha, the president of Telangana Jagruthi.

Special judge Jitendra Singh expressed strong disapproval of the CBI's case, stating that it did not hold up under judicial examination, particularly as the agency attempted to weave a narrative of conspiracy based on mere speculation.

The CBI has been investigating alleged corruption linked to the now-repealed excise policy of the previous AAP government.

Upon hearing the news of the court's decision, Kejriwal became emotional, declaring the corruption allegations against him as the 'largest political conspiracy' in the history of independent India.

He emphasized that the court's ruling affirmed that he, Sisodia, and the AAP are 'Kattar Imaandar' (extremely honest).

Kejriwal had spent six months in jail, while Sisodia was incarcerated for two years.

The CBI announced plans to appeal the trial court's decision in the Delhi High Court.

A spokesperson for the agency noted that several aspects of the investigation were either overlooked or inadequately addressed.

The judge criticized the CBI for its investigative shortcomings, stating there was no substantial evidence against Kejriwal and no prima facie case against Sisodia and the other defendants. He reiterated that there was no 'overarching conspiracy or criminal intent' in the excise policy.

The judge pointed out 'misleading statements' in the extensive chargesheet, which he claimed contained numerous gaps not supported by evidence or witness testimonies.

'The chargesheet is riddled with internal contradictions, undermining the conspiracy theory,' he remarked.

He concluded that without evidence, the allegations against Kejriwal could not be upheld, asserting that the former chief minister was implicated without any substantiation.

This situation, the judge noted, contradicts the principles of the rule of law.

Regarding Sisodia, the judge stated there was no evidence indicating his involvement, nor was there any recovery linked to him.

The court also criticized the agency for constructing its case based on statements from approvers.

'Permitting such conduct would severely violate constitutional principles. The practice of granting pardon to an accused, then using their statements to fill gaps in the investigation and implicate others is unacceptable,' the court stated.

Others discharged from the case include Kuldeep Singh, Narender Singh, Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, Mootha Goutam, Sameer Mahendru, Amandeep Singh Dhall, Arjun Pandey, Butchibabu Gornatla, Rakesh Joshi, Damodar Prasad Sharma, Prince Kumar, Chanpreet Singh Rayat, Arvind Kumar Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Amit Arora, Vinod Chauhan, Ashish Mathur, and P Sarath Chadra Reddy.