Opposition parties across India on Friday accused the ruling BJP of using central investigative agencies against Opposition leaders after a a Delhi court acquitted AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Mainish Sisodia and Telangana Jagruthi president K. Kavitha and rapped the Central Bureau of Investigation on the knuckles in the Delhi excise policy case.
The court acquitted a total of 23 in the case and ordered a departmental inquiry on the investigating officer. The CBI said it would appeal in the high court against the verdict immediately.
“The Union BJP government must not mortgage the integrity of investigating agencies for short term politics. Have some shame,” Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin posted on his X (formerly twitter) handle after the verdict.
“Well done my respected friend Thiru Arvind Kejriwal and Thiru Manish Sisodia for standing firm through it all and letting the truth speak for itself.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera told reporters: "Everything is in front of you. Is it a coincidence that Chidambaram gets prosecution sanction due to the Tamil Nadu elections? Is it a coincidence that Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia get a clean chit because of the Punjab and Gujarat elections?"
Refusing to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet against the accused, Special Judge Jitendra Singh said there was no cogent evidence against Kejriwal and no prima facie case against Sisodia and the other accused.
Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said the BJP had filed a fabricated case against Kejriwal and his deputy, Sisodia.
“A fake fabricated case was filed by the BJP to defame Opposition leaders who were arrested and mistreated in order to break their will and tarnish their reputation,” Saket wrote on X.
Sisodia had spent more than a year behind bars and Kejriwal was arrested days before the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls, which AAP lost.
“Yet again, BJP’s shameless tactic of using CBI and ED as their political tools stands exposed. The Modi-Shah government will soon fall apart just like these false cases,” Saket said. “Congratulations Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia for winning against this injustice. Your truth stands vindicated and we salute the courage you showed throughout this entire ordeal.”
Trinamool’s Lok Sabha MP from Krishnagar, Mahua Moitra, advised the BJP to learn its lesson from the verdict.
“BJP learn your lesson while there is still time. All your dirty tricks, your ED, your CBI- all these puppets will die in the face of truth,” she said.
Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) wrote: “They fought the lies, the propaganda, the toxic political agenda and ensured truth & justice prevailed.”
A CBI spokesperson said the agency “has decided to appeal in the high court against the judgment of the trial court immediately since several aspects of the investigation have either been ignored or not considered adequately”.
K. Kavita, the president of Telangana Jagruthi was also cleared by the Delhi court in the same case.
The Telangana MLA and working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi K. T. Rama Rao said the BRS had become the political casualty of the so-called liquor scam.
“The AAP government led by Kejriwal was brought down in the name of the so-called liquor scam, and the political casualty of that narrative was the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in both the Assembly and Parliament elections,” Rao said.
The Congress’ Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the verdict in the Delhi liquor scam case was a reminder that institutions must act in fairness.
“The discharge of Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia is a telling reminder that in a democracy, allegations cannot substitute evidence. Institutions must act with fairness, not fervour. Rule of law must prevail over rule by insinuation,” Singhvi said.
