NEW DELHI, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An Indian court acquitted the former 
chief minister of the capital Delhi on Friday in a long-running corruption 
probe the man had called a "political conspiracy" by the ruling party.

Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal was Delhi's chief 
minister before losing elections in 2025 in the midst of the judicial 
proceedings.

Kejriwal, 57, who spent several months in jail after he was arrested in March 
2024 on accusations that his administration received kickbacks from the 
allocation of liquor licenses, wept as he left court.

"Truth has won," Kejriwal told reporters after the verdict, accusing Prime 
Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of using a "political 
conspiracy" to finish AAP.

On Friday, a Delhi court cleared him, his former deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 
others of all charges.

A key opponent to Modi, he had consistently denied wrongdoing.

Rekha Gupta, a member of Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, was 
elected as chief minister of the sprawling megacity of more than 30 million 
people in February 2025.

Kejriwal began his career as a tax collector but quit his civil service job 
to become an anti-corruption crusader, bringing him national fame.

Several of Modi's opponents have faced criminal investigation or trial in 
recent years, including two state chief ministers.

In August 2025, the government introduced a bill to remove politicians if 
they are arrested and detained for 30 days, which opponents called a 
"chilling" bid to crush constitutional safeguards.