On February 27 2026, Special Judge Jitender Singh at Rouse Avenue Courts acquitted Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and 21 other accused in the Delhi excise policy case, holding that there was no prima facie evidence of conspiracy or criminal intent. The 598-page judgment dismissed the CBI investigation as speculative and unreliable.
Coming out of court, Kejriwal, who was visibly moved, spoke to the media with tears, saying the verdict was proof of his honesty and calling the whole case the “biggest political conspiracy” in independent India, which he claimed was planned by PM Modi and HM Amit Shah to smash AAP.” After the verdict, Kejriwal took to the streets and led a triumphant victory procession from his home to the AAP office. Along the way, his supporters chanted and celebrated the result as justice overcoming vengeance. The discharge not only lifted the party’s spirit for a while but also stopped the defections and changed the AAP’s story to one of strength and honesty.
Legal Proceedings Heat Up in Delhi High Court (March 2026)
Very soon after, the CBI filed a revision petition in the Delhi High Court to challenge the discharge. On March 9, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notices to Kejriwal, Sisodia, and the other respondents, staying certain adverse remarks by the trial court against the CBI’s investigating officer. The court said some observations made by the trial court were “prima facie erroneous”, mainly in relation to the witnesses and the approvers. Continued March hearings reached mid-month, and the CBI opposed the granting of any extension for replies. On March 18, the High Court allowed time till April 2 for the responses to the ED plea, which sought the removal of “unwarranted” remarks against the agency. The case is scheduled for another hearing on April 6, 2026.
The Court has not put a stay on the discharge, hence Kejriwal can remain free while the appeals are being decided. In another development, Kejriwal filed a petition in the Supreme Court after the Delhi HC Chief Justice refused his plea to transfer the case away from Justice Sharma’s bench, saying the CJI was not convinced of Kejriwal’s impartiality concerns. He also contested the ex parte aspects of the March 9 order. The connected ED money laundering case is still dependent on the main CBI case and there is a strong possibility of the court hearing arguments on whether to stay or set aside the proceedings in light of the discharge.
Active Political Re-engagement and Public Campaigns
Invigorated by the verdict, Kejriwal didn’t take even a moment to come back to the frontline. March 1st witnessed him steering a large demonstration at Jantar Mantar protesting against the job losses under the BJP government in Delhi, such as the temporary closure of mohalla clinics and the termination of bus marshals. In doing so, he made AAP the champion of the common workers.
On March 11, Kejriwal had a conference of media where he severely criticised the Centre for the acute shortage of LPG during the wedding season and hinted at how the business, restaurants and even households might be badly affected if this situation is not controlled. He also gave the crisis a bigger picture of failure in government. He journeyed to Punjab for the launch of the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit 2026 in Mohali, through which he highlighted investor-friendly reforms and quick approvals.
Besides that, he was also present for several functions in Goa, one of which was a Panjim gathering that congratulated the theme of “truth, justice and honest politics” on the very next day (March 17). Again, these kinds of trips by Kejriwal and AAP show that the party is thinking of the reconstruction of the national-level even after their leader has been discharged from custody. At the same time, this can be seen as a deliberate contrasting of their “clean” image with that of the other parties.
Current Standing and Outlook
Three weeks after Kejriwal was discharged, he is still standing strong, even though the lawsuit is going on. The legal situation remains uncertain, with the High Court granting some time and the case being listed for the hearing on April 6. However, there is no immediate threat to his position. It has been noted that the party militants have been very excited with the situation, and the “agnipariksha” inside story has been very effective in consolidating the party unity. Kejriwal is going to continue politically to provoke Modi to organise Delhi elections again by sending out the message that AAP will win, since the case was not strong enough to be taken to a full trial. He is trying to win back urban voters by talking about daily life matters such as jobs, fuel shortage, and making the city more attractive to investors.
At the age of 57, Kejriwal, the ex-CM, has moved from merely defending himself to a full-fledged attack. He is using the victory in court as a springboard for the revival of AAP. It is possible that the higher courts may cause a different result, but last month Kejriwal showed that he is still a fighting man, and he has turned his personal victory into a wider political offensive.
As of March 21 2026, Arvind Kejriwal’s involvement in politics is still expanding even though the appellate procedures are still haunting him. The Delhi High Court, during the recent hearings on March 17 and 18, reminded that the trial court’s discharge order does not have a stay, which means that Kejriwal’s freedom of movement is unaffected even as the CBI’s revision petition is being considered. Since reply dates have been extended till April 2 and the next substantive hearing is on April 6, judicial uncertainty is still there but it has not stopped him from making public appearances.
Kejriwal has indeed taken this interval as an opportunity to reach out to more people, presenting the discharge as undeniable evidence of AAP’s clean governance record, and at the same time, he has reopened the case against his party, accusing it of being subjected to politically motivated witch-hunts. In future, Kejriwal seems to be ready to strengthen the revival of AAP by concentrating on deep-level workers first and then going for national expansion.
Very recently, he has been engaged in or been seen in activities that have all the hallmarks of a leader who is not only protesting, in the case of the March 1 Jantar Mantar demonstration against job losses allegedly due to the BJP government’s policies in Delhi, but also attending serious business events like investor summits in Punjab and a meeting in Goa. Such a combination indicates that he is gradually broadening AAP’s horizon to include major issues like unemployment, scarcity of power, and reforms in the economy. This information came from party sources who also said that more such protests might take place, besides doing booth-level strengthening in areas where they have a better chance of winning.
Effectively, Kejriwal is telling people that he is the one reaching out to them, whereas his opponents, whom he calls dictatorial, are the ones who cannot stand him. It is very well possible that the higher courts still have it in their power to change the story. However, over these past three weeks, a clean chit given in court has been converted into continued momentum, which in turn may be leading to a scenario where the AAP can make a comeback in the forthcoming electoral contests.
