It is as if the Rouse Avenue Court of the country’s capital Delhi has given life to the Aam Aadmi Party on 27 February 2026. The court acquitted all 23 accused including party president Arvind Kejriwal and number two leader Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Excise Policy case. After this decision, Arvind Kejriwal, who was missing since the Delhi Assembly elections, suddenly appeared in the national media and continued throughout the day. As soon as he was acquitted by the court, Kejriwal said emotionally, ‘Truth has won. I am brutally honest.
Actually, the excise policy of Delhi was changed during the Kejriwal government. CBI had alleged in the court that the Aam Aadmi Party government has committed a big scam by bringing this policy. CBI was advocating against Kejriwal and his leaders in the court regarding this. But there was no strong, reliable or direct evidence against Arvind Kejriwal or other accused in the CBI charge sheet. The court has accepted this. The Court said that the allegations were made only on the basis of speculation, rumors or hearsay and not on concrete evidence.
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‘There is no conspiracy in making excise policy’
The Rouse Avenue court clarified that no ‘major conspiracy’ or ‘criminal intention’ was found in making the excise policy. The court also said that this policy reflected administrative deliberations and adherence to constitutional procedures. That means, according to the court’s decision, there was no scam like ‘Delhi Excise Policy’ in Delhi.
But, the so-called Delhi Excise Policy gave such a wound to the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal, from which the party will take years to recover. This is the same allegation which was raised strongly by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah fiercely attacked Arvind Kejriwal. This caused huge damage to the honest image of Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal, the consequences of which the party had to bear in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. The result was that the Aam Aadmi Party lost the elections and after 27 years, the BJP government came to power in Delhi. In such a situation, let us know what the Aam Aadmi Party lost and what it gained due to this alleged liquor scam.
Kejriwal remained in jail for 6 months
Delhi Assembly elections were held a year ago. In the 70-member Delhi Assembly, BJP won a total of 48 seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party was reduced to just 22 seats. BJP formed the government on 20 February under the leadership of Rekha Gupta. But, a year before this, on March 21, 2024, ED sent 9 summons to Kejriwal regarding the same alleged case. After ignoring these summons, ED raided Kejriwal’s house and arrested him. He was kept in Tihar Jail of Delhi.
Kejriwal got interim bail from the Supreme Court for the May-June 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign. This bail was from May 10 to June 1, but when the bail ended on June 2, he surrendered in Tihar Jail. On June 26, 2024, the CBI formally arrested him in the corruption case in the jail itself. Due to allegations in this case, Kejriwal had to stay in jail for about 177 days i.e. about 6 months. During this time, the results of Lok Sabha elections also came out. The Aam Aadmi Party, which emerged from Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, lost all seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi. All seven seats went to BJP’s account.
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Manish Sisodia spent 17 months in jail
Manish Sisodia is the number two leader in Aam Aadmi Party after Kejriwal. He was also accused of liquor scam. CBI arrested Sisodia on 26 February 2023 after 8 hours of interrogation in the corruption case. After this, on March 9, 2023, ED took him into custody in a money laundering case. Sisodia was sent to Tihar jail. He remained in jail for about 530 days (about 17 months). The Delhi Excise Policy scam was linked to the Liquor Policy 2021-22 of the Delhi government, in which allegations of corruption, money laundering and conspiracy were raised.
The Supreme Court granted him bail in both CBI and ED cases. Only after this he was released from jail. But as soon as the Rouse Avenue Court acquitted Manish Sisodia along with Kejriwal, all the charges against him were washed away.
Sanjay Singh remained in jail for 6 months
Sanjay Singh has been a Rajya Sabha MP from Aam Aadmi Party for two consecutive terms. He is the party’s strongest voice in Parliament. The heat of the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam also fell upon him. On October 4, 2023, the Enforcement Directorate also arrested him in a money laundering case. Sanjay Singh was arrested and sent to Tihar Jail. He remained in jail for about 6 months (about 181 days). However, on April 2, 2024, the Supreme Court granted him bail in this case. ED did not even protest in this case.
What did Aam Aadmi Party lose?
This liquor scam of Delhi proved to be the link for Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, which took away everything (except his party) from him. Due to this alleged scam, he had to resign from the post of Chief Minister of Delhi on 17 September 2024. In his place, party MLA Atishi took oath as the Chief Minister. In the same case, Manish Sisodia had also resigned from the post of Deputy Chief Minister on 28 February 2023.
After this, Aam Aadmi Party suffered a crushing defeat in the assembly elections held in Delhi in February 2025. The party got only 22 seats out of 70. Arvind Kejriwal himself lost from the New Delhi Assembly seat from where he had become the Chief Minister of Delhi by defeating veteran Sheila Dikshit. He was defeated by BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma by 4,089 votes. Similarly, Manish Sisodia also lost the election from Jangpura seat. He was defeated by BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marwah by 441 votes.
Biggest loss to the party
In fact, Aam Aadmi Party portrays itself as a party with an honest image among the public. This has been the main identity of the party since its inception. Arvind Kejriwal and his party emerged from the India Against Corruption movement in 2012. In this movement and till coming to power, Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues have been fighting against corruption and giving slogans of clean politics. Aam Aadmi Party also presented itself as a staunchly honest party. In such a situation, when the party and its leaders were accused of the alleged Delhi liquor scam, it sent a wrong message to the public and the party had to suffer huge losses in the elections.
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