Kejriwal acquitted in corruption case

A court in India has acquitted former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of a corruption case. He had been under investigation and trial for a long time on corruption charges. The AFP news agency reported this information on Friday.

Kejriwal, the leader of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had denied all the charges against him, calling it a "political conspiracy" by the ruling party.

The 57-year-old leader was in jail for several months after his arrest in March 2024. The main charge against him was that he and others in his administration took bribes in exchange for a liquor license while in power. While the trial was going on, Kejriwal's party lost the 2025 local elections to Narendra Modi's BJP.

Kejriwal left the court with tears in his eyes after the verdict was announced. He told reporters, "Truth has triumphed."

He alleged that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were involved in a political conspiracy to 'end' the Aam Aadmi Party. However, he said that the conspiracy did not succeed.

The court acquitted Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 21 other leaders and activists from all charges on Friday. After hearing the verdict, Kejriwal and Sisodia spent an emotional time with their family members.

Kejriwal started his career as a tax officer, but gained national recognition and fame by taking on an anti-corruption role. He is one of Modi's biggest political rivals. In recent years, criminal investigations and judicial proceedings have been conducted against several of Modi's rivals, including two Chief Ministers.

It is worth noting that in February 2025, BJP leader Rekha Gupta was elected Chief Minister of Delhi. In August of the same year, the government introduced a new bill, which states that if a politician is arrested and detained for 30 consecutive days, he will have to leave any post, including the Chief Minister's post. The opposition has called the bill unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, The Hindu reported that the central intelligence agency CBI has decided to appeal against the verdict. In a statement, the CBI said, "We will immediately appeal the verdict of the trial court in the Delhi High Court, as several aspects of the investigation have been ignored or not fully taken into account."

However, special judge Jitendra Singh cited the shortcomings in the CBI investigation and said that the agency could not present any concrete evidence to support the charges against Kejriwal. Regarding Sisodia, he commented that there was "no reason to file a case" against him.

The judge also said, "No evidence has been presented in support of the charges against Kejriwal. As a result, there is no justification for his detention. The former chief minister was accused without any objective evidence." He called it an act against the rule of law.