Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Court Discharges Kejriwal, Sisodia and All 23 Accused

New Delhi | 27 Feb 2026 A Delhi court on Friday discharged all 23 accused in the CBI-linked excise policy case, including former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The court refused to take cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, stating that there was no material on record to support the prosecution’s case against any of the accused. The order was passed by Special Judge Jitendra Singh, who observed that the investigation failed to establish evidence backing the allegations of corruption in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Kejriwal and Sisodia were among those arrested earlier while serving as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively, during the probe into the formulation and implementation of the policy. Reacting to the verdict, Kejriwal became emotional while speaking to reporters and said, "I am not corrupt. The court has said that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are honest." He described the excise policy case as the “biggest political conspiracy in history of Independent India.” He also added, “Court order proves Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party are ‘Kattar Imaandar’ [dead honest].” Following the ruling, the CBI announced that it would immediately challenge the decision in the Delhi High Court, claiming that several aspects of the investigation were not adequately considered. The agency had alleged that ₹100 crore was paid by a so-called “south lobby” to influence the excise policy. With this order, all 23 accused named across multiple chargesheets filed since 2022 stand discharged in the Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Court Discharges Kejriwal, Sisodia and All 23 Accused A Delhi court on Friday discharged all 23 accused in the CBI-linked excise policy case, including former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The court refused to take cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, stating that there was no material on record to support the prosecution’s case against any of the accused. The order was passed by Special Judge Jitendra Singh, who observed that the investigation failed to establish evidence backing the allegations of corruption in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Kejriwal and Sisodia were among those arrested earlier while serving as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively, during the probe into the formulation and implementation of the policy. Reacting to the verdict, Kejriwal became emotional while speaking to reporters and said, "I am not corrupt. The court has said that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are honest." He described the excise policy case as the “biggest political conspiracy in history of Independent India.” He also added, “Court order proves Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party are ‘Kattar Imaandar’ [dead honest].” Following the ruling, the CBI announced that it would immediately challenge the decision in the Delhi High Court, claiming that several aspects of the investigation were not adequately considered. The agency had alleged that ₹100 crore was paid by a so-called “south lobby” to influence the excise policy. With this order, all 23 accused named across multiple chargesheets filed since 2022 stand discharged in the case.