NEW DELHI: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal broke down before the media on Friday after a Delhi court discharged him and 22 others in the CBI’s excise policy case, calling the verdict a “triumph of truth”. Kejriwal described the excise case as an attempt to “crush AAP”, alleging that the investigation was part of the “biggest conspiracy in independent India,” and that the case was “totally fabricated.” He directly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, saying AAP’s top leadership had been jailed as part of a broader political conspiracy.“Today, the court has discharged all accused in this case. We always said that the truth triumphs. We have faith in the Indian legal system. Truth has triumphed. Modi ji and Amit Shah ji together hatched the biggest political conspiracy of Independent India to crush AAP. AAP’s top 5 leaders of the party were put in jail, even the sitting chief minister was dragged out of his house and put in jail. It never happened in the history. It was a totally fabricated case…..Kejriwal is not corrupt. In my life, I have only earned honesty. They filed a false case, and today it has been proven…the court has said that Kejriwal is fiercely honest, Manish Sisodia is fiercely honest, and the Aam Aadmi Party is fiercely honest……I want to tell the PM that for power he should not play with the country and constitution like this…,” said Kejriwal.

Kejriwal’s remarks came hours after the trial court discharged all 23 accused in the CBI case linked to the now-scrapped 2021–22 excise policy.The controversy originated from the liquor policy introduced by the AAP government in November 2021. The policy proposed that the government exit retail sale of alcohol and grant licences to private players, arguing that it would curb corruption and boost revenue.However, months after the policy was introduced allegations of procedural irregularities surfaced, prompting Delhi’s lieutenant governor to recommend a CBI probe in July 2022. The CBI registered an FIR alleging lapses and undue benefits to certain licensees. The Enforcement Directorate later initiated a parallel money-laundering investigation.The probe led to a series of high-profile arrests. In February 2023, then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI. In October 2023, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was arrested by the ED. In March 2024, the ED arrested Kejriwal after multiple summonses, making him the first sitting chief minister to be arrested in a money-laundering case while in office. He spent nearly six months in jail.Soon after securing release, Kejriwal resigned as chief minister. AAP legislators elected Atishi as his successor. The political fallout continued, with AAP losing the 2025 Delhi assembly elections after a decade in power. Kejriwal also lost his New Delhi assembly seat.