Manish Sisodia Walks Out Of Tihar Jail After 17-Month Incarceration in Excise Policy Case

New Delhi: Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia was released from Tihar Jail on Friday after spending 17 months behind bars in connection with the excise policy case. His release came hours after the Supreme Court granted him bail, citing a prolonged delay in the trial and his right to speedy justice.

Upon his release, Sisodia was warmly welcomed by Delhi Minister Atishi, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and a large gathering of AAP supporters who had assembled outside the jail, waving flags and cheering.

In his first public address post-release, Sisodia expressed deep gratitude towards the Indian Constitution, attributing his release to the principles enshrined by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He declared that AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal would also be exonerated soon. “Every inch of my skin feels indebted to Babasaheb,” Sisodia stated, emphasising the Supreme Court’s role in defending constitutional rights against what he termed as a “dictatorship.”

Sisodia, a close aide of Kejriwal, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. His bail applications had been denied seven times before the Supreme Court’s intervention.