Court Discharges AAP Leaders; Rahul Warns Congress Against Factionalism

Special Judge Jitendra Singh of Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi, discharged Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, leader Manish Sisodia, and others on 27 Feb in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s corruption case linked to an excise policy scam. The judge said, 'The prosecution case doesn’t stand scrutiny...The overarching conspiracy theory fails here. There are internal contradictions in the case.' The case arose out of a report submitted in July 2022 by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, pointing out alleged procedural lapses in the formulation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021–22. Kejriwal and Sisodia had earlier spent 5 and 17 months in jail, respectively, in the case. Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the discharge vindicates AAP’s stand that India's agencies were being misused by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led union government to target political rivals. Kejriwal’s release has galvanized the AAP workers ahead of Panjab election in early 2027. On 1 Mar, AAP held a rally in Delhi involving all its senior leaders, including Mann. Addressing the gathering, AAP leaders made it clear that the party now intends to capitalize on nationwide voter sentiment against the BJP. Meanwhile, on 28 Feb, the Indian National Congress held a massive rally at Barnala. Addressing a factionalized INC in Panjab, Rahul Gandhi said, 'I want to give a message to Congress leaders. Work is done through teamwork. No single player wins (a match). You are all senior leaders sitting here. Become team players or we will make you sit at home.' In his address, Rahul largely focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, targeting him over the scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the India-US trade deal. He said the trade deal would ruin farmers and small industries, warning that a ‘storm is coming’ if agricultural imports from the US flood Indian markets. He also accused the union government of shielding industrialist Gautam Adani and claimed that international pressures had influenced policy decisions. Referring to security issues, he said, ‘If Panjab is safe, the country would be safe’ (earlier coverage).