An Indian court acquitted a former Delhi chief minister on Friday in a corruption case he denounced as a "political conspiracy" by the rival ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, had served as the capital's chief minister before losing elections in 2025 as the judicial proceedings against him were underway.
He was jailed for several months in 2024 after being arrested on accusations that his administration had received kickbacks from the allocation of liquor licenses.
The 57-year-old politician wept as he left the court in New Delhi.
The trial court cleared Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 others of all charges, saying mere approval of policy decisions "without evidence of dishonest intention" did not attract criminal liability.
Kejriwal demanded an apology from Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of being "the main conspirators" who wanted to destroy his party.
"This entire thing was orchestrated by two people -- Narendra Modi and Amit Shah -- and they should apologise," he said at a news conference.
"They hatched this conspiracy to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party. They knew they would not be able to defeat us, so they plotted this conspiracy."
Crowds of supporters gathered around Kejriwal's vehicle, chanting slogans, waving party flags and showering rose petals.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which led the case, has appealed the ruling, according to local media reports.
Kejriwal, a key Modi opponent, 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, triggering criticism of political witch hunt.
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.
© Agence France-Presse
