New Delhi: The Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi has acquitted former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise policy corruption case.

The verdict brings closure to a long-running investigation related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The case had been probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which alleged irregularities involving a reported ₹100 crore payment linked to a so-called “south lobby”.

Background of the case

The court had earlier reserved its order after hearing arguments from both prosecution and defence.

The prosecution argued that criminal conspiracy should be assessed as a whole and that sufficient material existed to frame charges. The defence countered that there was no direct incriminating evidence linking Kejriwal to the alleged conspiracy and noted that his name appeared only in a later supplementary chargesheet.

The case involved a total of 23 accused individuals and multiple chargesheets filed since 2022.

The acquittal marks a major legal development in one of Delhi’s most high-profile political corruption cases and ends years of judicial proceedings related to the excise policy controversy.

More updates to follow...