Aam Aadmi Party senior leader Manish Sisodia walked out of Tihar Jail after 17 months behind prison bars. He attributed his coming out to the strength of the Constitution and hoped it would be able to facilitate the release of the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, too.
As Sisodia emerged from the jail at 6:45 p.m., a sea of supporters who braved the rain welcomed him with rose petals and lifted him on their shoulders, raising "Inquilab Zindabad" slogans.
A host of AAP leaders, including Atishi, Sanjay Singh, and Durgesh Pathak, were waiting outside Tihar Jail with umbrellas to welcome Sisodia, standing in the rain till his release.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court granted bail to Sisodia in connection with corruption and money laundering allegations linked to the Delhi excise policy "scam." The Court observed that his continued detention without trial had deprived him of the fundamental right to a speedy judicial trial.
Standing through the sunroof of a vehicle, Sisodia, in his maroon shirt, greeted back at the sloganeering crowd of supporters, "Namaskar sabse Azad Sisodia." He hailed the Constitution that brought his judicial battle to its climax and thanked his supporters for the patience they showed during the last 17 months.
He thanked the Supreme Court for shielding constitutionalism against what he called India's dictatorship and paid homage to the contribution of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
He acknowledged the emotional moment, saying he hoped similar constitutional power would see the release of Kejriwal as he rallied the support with chants of "Bhrasthachaar ka ek hi kaal, Kejriwal, Kejriwal."
Later, Sisodia visited Kejriwal's wife, Sunita, at the Chief Minister's residence.
His release has come at an opportunistic time when assembly elections are due for Haryana and Delhi. Leaders of the AAP consider that his bail is going to have a very positive effect on their electoral prospects. Durgesh Pathak, a part of the AAP, said it might increase their count compared to the last elections.
Following the Supreme Court decision, reaction at the AAP office and Sisodia's residence was one of celebration.
The AAP termed the court's decision "a tight slap on the face of dictatorship of BJP-led Central government", even as they rued the inordinate delay in delivery of justice. They now expect other jailed AAP leaders, Kejriwal included, to be released.
While terming the Supreme Court's verdict as "just a procedural order", the BJP remarked that bail does not acquit Sisodia of the charges. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said that his bail was due to procedural delays, while Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva termed the bail conditions as "questionable".
constitutional experts and officials, if reinstated, believe that Sisodia may help restore normalcy to Delhi's governance, which will require time. Sisodia was in-charge of 18 departments, including education and health. He was arrested by the CBI on February 26 for alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy and later by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering. He claimed that he was detained for too long without trial despite opposition from the CBI and ED.
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