Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday broke down in tears as he remembered his former deputy Manish Sisodia, who is in jail in connection with a probe into the excise policy case, while inaugurating a new branch of BR Ambedkar School of Specialised Excellence in Bawana. Speaking at the event, the AAP supremo asserted that the party leader will be “granted bail very soon” as he has been jailed on “false charges”.

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Kejriwal said, “I am missing Manish Sisodia today. Manish Sisodia started this aiming to provide quality education to one and all. They framed false charges against him and jailed him in an unjust manner. I am sure that Manish Sisodia will come out of jail very soon. Truth always wins. He has been jailed because he has been building good schools and the Aam Aadmi Party is getting popular.”

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Kejriwal said, “They want to halt the progress of Delhi’s education. They (BJP) want Delhi’s education revolution to come to an end but we will not let that happen. Everyone around the world has the same opinion about government schools in Delhi, that our schools are the best.”

On June 5, the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim bail to Sisodia in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam and observed that he is facing “extremely serious” allegations and there is a possibility of “influencing the witnesses”.

Sisodia had sought bail to attend to his ailing wife. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma allowed him to meet her for one day at their residence or hospital at her convenience between 10 am and 5 pm but under certain conditions including that he will not interact with media.

“The court finds it very difficult to persuade itself to release the petitioner on interim bail for 6 weeks,” the judge said noting that the case concerns “extremely serious allegations” and there is a possibility of tampering if Sisodia, who held several positions in the city’s AAP government, is released.

“However, at the same time, this court feels that the petitioner should get an opportunity to see and meet his wife. Therefore, for one day, as per the convenience of Mrs Seema Sisodia, the petitioner be taken to his residence/hospital (if she is admitted to the hospital) from 10 am to 5 pm in custody,” said the court.

Sisodia was arrested in the CBI case on February 26 in connection with its probe into the excise policy after which he resigned as deputy chief minister of Delhi. He was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9 and is currently in judicial custody.

The former Delhi deputy chief minister had sought release on a temporary basis for six weeks, contending he was the sole caretaker of his ailing wife. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court.

The Enforcement Directorate had opposed the plea for interim bail on grounds of the possibility of evidence tampering. The ED lawyer also claimed Sisodia’s wife has been suffering from such a medical condition for the last 20 years.

The high court had earlier rejected Sisodia’s bail plea on May 30 in the corruption case filed by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam, saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature.

The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021 but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

In the CBI case, the high court has kept the interim bail plea pending for July.

(with inputs from PTI)