Indian court throws out alleged corruption case against opposition leader

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (Reuters) – An Indian court on Friday declined to proceed with a trial against opposition leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an alleged corruption case that his party has labelled as politically motivated.

The anti-corruption activist-turned-politician was arrested in March 2024 and faced accusations by the Central Bureau of Investigation over irregularities in awarding liquor licences under a 2022 policy enacted by his government. He was released on bail six months later, after which he resigned as chief minister.

Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party had dismissed the allegations as “a desperate attempt to malign his image” ahead of national and Delhi elections.

The AAP lost the Delhi election in February 2025, handing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party controls of the national capital territory for the first time in 27 years. Kejriwal, 58, had earlier won three straight elections in Delhi. 

“We have always said the truth prevails,” Kejriwal told reporters outside the Rouse Avenue district court, with tears in his eyes. “They slapped a false case on us but the court said that we are fiercely honest.”

The CBI said it planned to appeal the ruling, stating that “several aspects of investigation have either been ignored or not considered adequately.” The Enforcement Directorate, which is separately examining the case, had also been pursuing charges against Kejriwal.

The CBI alleges that the liquor policy implemented by Kejriwal’s government gave unfair advantages to private retailers. Kejriwal and his colleagues have denied the charges.

The court order also exonerated 22 other individuals, including Kejriwal’s former deputy Manish Sisodia, said lawyer Sumer Singh Boparai, who represented one of the accused. The trial court’s full order is yet to be published.

(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi, editing by Andrei Khalip)