• Source:JND
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia walked out of the Tihar Jail on Friday evening after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the excise policy case. He came out of the Tihar jail after a period of 17 months in custody without trial. The former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Sisodia, was showered with rose petals by the party workers as he came out of the Tihar jail. Joyous party supporters and workers picked Sisodia on their shoulders and raised "zindabad" slogans. They also rooted for AAP supreme Arvind Kejriwal with slogans like  "jail ke taale tootege, Kejriwal ji chhootenge".

Sisodia wore a maroon shirt as he came out of jail. Party leaders Atishi, Sanjay Singh, and Durgesh Pathak came to attend. They all stood in the rain, holding umbrellas, as they waited for Sisodia to come out.

Indebted To Babasaheb Ambedkar

Manish Sisodia, soon after coming out of Tihar Jail, hailed Baba Saheb Ambedkar and said that he was indebted to him. "My whole life is indebted to Ambedkar," he said. The leader said it was an emotional moment for everyone and hoped that the power of the Constitution and democracy would pave the way for the release of Kejriwal.

He raised the slogan, "Bhrasthachaar ka ek hi kaal, Kejriwal, Kejriwal." Sisodia also thanked the Supreme Court for using the power of the constitution and giving a tight slap to the dictatorship in the country.

"Not only me but every person of Delhi, and children of the country were with me emotionally in jail. I thank the Supreme Court from the bottom of my heart for using the power of Constitution to give a tight slap to the dictatorship in the country," he said.

"We have brought this legal battle to its logical end through the Constitution. I thank you all for being with me," Sisodia said and added that he had many of admirers but their numbers have increased in the last 17 months.

The former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister exuded confidence that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also walk out of jail soon. 

"I have come out of jail due to your love, God's blessings and power of truth, and biggest of all, the dream of Babasaheb that if any dictatorial government comes to power and puts opposition leaders behind bars by forming dictatorial laws, then this country's Constitution will protect them. I assure you that with this power of the Constitution, Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail as well," Sisodia addressed the party workers soon after coming out of jail.

Sisodia Visits Kejriwal's Residence, Meets Delhi CM's Wife

After being released from Tihar jail, Sisodia reached the Delhi chief minister's residence in the evening and met Kejriwal's wife and other family members. Many senior party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, and MLAs, were present at the chief minister's residence on the occasion.

In a video posted on X, he can be seen meeting Sunita Kejriwal, the parents of Arvind Kejriwal, and other party workers at the residence of the Delhi Chief Minister. Many senior party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, and MLAs, were present at the chief minister's residence on the occasion.

Sisodia, who is a trusted lieutenant of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi excise policy case.

This was the eighth attempt by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after seven rejected pleas, to get its leader out of jail after a delayed trial. He was not granted interim bail ever since his arrest on February 26, 2023, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sisodia, 52, was briefly allowed to meet his ailing wife last year after the court granted him permission.

Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 of last year for purported irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021–22. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9 last year. He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28 in 2023.

(With input from agencies)