AAP welcomes Sisodia’s bail, blames political malice for his imprisonment

Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh hoped that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal would also soon get bail in the same case

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hailed the bail granted to former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as the victory of truth, saying the central government kept him in jail due to political malice even though not a single rupee was recovered from him during the prolonged investigation.

Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023. (HT PHOTO)

Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh hoped that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal would also soon get bail in the same case. “Not even a single rupee has been recovered from Sisodia despite that he was kept in jail for over 17 months. The process became the punishment. Knowingly under various pretexts, he was kept in jail...only due to political malice and grudge…and today that person got justice. The 17 months of Manish Sisodia were wasted”

Singh said all AAP workers and people were excited over the Supreme Court judgement. “Everyone was convinced that our leaders were illegally framed and jailed. Our chief Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain are still in jail. I believe that they will soon get justice and will be out of jail soon. I believe this [Sisodia bail] verdict is a tight slap on the dictatorship of the central government,” said Singh.

Sisodia’s bail comes months before the assembly election is due in Delhi in January-February. The AAP lost all four Lok Sabha seats it contested in the 2024 national polls in Delhi. AAP has been ruling Delhi since 2015.

Singh said Sisodia’s bail is a big boost for AAP ahead of the Delhi assembly election. “This is a big relief for the Aam Aadmi Party, for the people of Delhi. Will the Prime Minister of the country give an account of the 17 months of Manish Sisodia’s life that were wasted?”

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party chief Virendra Sachdeva said bail does not mean acquittal and the case remains the same and will continue. “The AAP leaders should not get excited over the bail because their leader has not been acquitted in the excise scam case,” said Sachdeva.

Sisodia was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy in February 2023. He framed and implemented the policy as the excise minister in 2021. Sisodia handled 18 portfolios, including finance education and health.