AAP’s storm may not be over even after Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia’s release: Here’s why

The coming months will be critical for the party as it tries to regain its ground post the return of key leaders

Two of the key Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders – Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior leader Manish Sisodia – are now out on bail in the Delhi excise policy case. While the party appears elated about its leadership's return to prominence, yet a cloud of legal uncertainty continues to hang over it.

This comes as AAP is also one of the main accused in the case and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to pursue additional legal measures against the party. The directorate is working on another supplementary charge sheet describing AAP’s involvement in the alleged scam, News18 reported citing sources in investigating agencies.

The matter relates to alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which has now been scrapped.

In relation to the case, the ED has filed a total of nine charge sheets, comprising eight supplementary charge sheets. “The investigation is still on and we have more leads around it. Granting bail to the accused is the call of the judiciary, but the case is still in trial. None of our accused were acquitted, and we have enough evidence against them,” a senior officer told News18.

He stated that the Delhi government's excise policy implementation and subsequent transactions have been revealed as a major scam, involving the misuse of public funds and their diversion into political financing.

“Importantly, AAP is also an accused in the case. We may file another supplementary charge sheet explaining the party’s involvement,” he added.

The coming months will therefore be critical for the party as it tries to regain its ground post the return of key leaders.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to licence holders.