On Camera, AAP's Atishi Breaks Down Mid-Speech After Manish Sisodia's Bail

Delhi Education Minister and AAP leader Atishi broke down today as she reacted to the Supreme Court's decision to grant bail to Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, in the liquor policy case. 

Atishi, speaking at a school in the national capital, said, "Today the truth has won, the students of Delhi have won. He was put in jail because he provided good education to poor children."

AAP leaders today termed the Supreme Court verdict as a "victory of truth". Mr Sisodia was granted bail nearly 18 months after his arrest in the liquor policy case. The Supreme Court's verdict, delivered by Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, said it would be a "travesty of justice" to continue Mr Sisodia's incarceration without significant progress in the trial.

"This is the victory of truth," Atishi added. "He was implicated in a false case. He gave a bright future to the children of Delhi. Today we are happy and now we are waiting that in the same way, Delhi's popular Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also come out. This is the victory of the people of Delhi."

Mr Sisodia, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 last year, has been at the centre of a controversy surrounding the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) subsequently arrested him on March 9, 2023, in connection with a money laundering case that stemmed from the CBI's First Information Report (FIR). Mr Sisodia resigned from his ministerial post two days later on February 28, 2023.

The legal battle surrounding the case has seen multiple high-profile arrests, including that of Arvind Kejriwal. On Thursday, a Delhi court extended Mr Kejriwal's judicial custody until August 20 in the ongoing corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who presided over the hearing, extended Mr Kejriwal's custody after he appeared before the court via video conference.

Mr Kejriwal, 55, was initially arrested by the CBI on June 26 while already in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, where he was being held in connection with a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His arrest by the ED had occurred earlier on March 21.

Despite being granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the ED case on July 12, Mr Kejriwal remains in Tihar Jail as he has yet to furnish the required bail bond.