After Kejriwal verdict, Sena (UBT) alleges political vendetta by Centre

Mumbai, Feb 28, 2026

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Centre, claiming that the discharge of Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and 23 others by the Rouse Avenue District Court in the alleged liquor policy case is a “slap in the face” of what it termed as political vendetta by the Union government.

In a strongly worded editorial in its mouthpiece, Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said the court had explicitly rebuked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), observing that the allegations against Kejriwal and others lacked merit.

The editorial alleged that central investigative agencies like the ED and CBI have taken on a “demonic” form due to what it described as earlier judicial inaction.

It further claimed that the BJP leadership and certain Chief Ministers, including Devendra Fadnavis, were operating “torture camps” in disregard of constitutional principles, with investigative agencies acting as mere instruments of political authority.

The editorial further alleged that the case was a “conspiracy” hatched by a “quartet” consisting of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, the ED, the CBI, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The primary motivations were the BJP’s inability to win elections in Delhi and the vocal opposition of Kejriwal and Sisodia against the BJP.

It highlighted the heavy personal toll on the accused, noting that Kejriwal and his colleagues faced systematic harassment and were denied basic necessities, including medicines, while in jail.

Drawing comparisons with authoritarian regimes, the editorial stated that branding political opponents as “corrupt” and arresting them through investigative agencies without due process was reminiscent of tactics used in countries such as Russia and certain Islamic nations.

“Investigative agencies tightened the noose around the necks of Kejriwal and Sisodia, but today, that same noose has caught the CBI itself. While the BJP celebrated Kejriwal’s arrest as a “victory of truth,” the court’s acquittal of Kejriwal and Sisodia has now put the CBI in the dock,” said the editorial.

The editorial gave a list of other instances of alleged misuse. It said that Maharashtra leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Anil Deshmukh, Nawab Malik, and Sanjay Raut, were arrested in “politically motivated” cases. Leaders like Ajit Pawar, Hasan Mushrif, and Praful Patel were allegedly coerced into leaving their parties through ED threats, only to be “cleansed” once they aligned with the BJP. Many ministers in the Shinde group were on the ED radar, but now they “sleep peacefully” after siding with the BJP.

In light of the discharge, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction demanded that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah apologise to Kejriwal.

Furthermore, it called for legal action against the CBI officers who oversaw what it termed a “fraudulent” investigation. “If the courts had checked these ‘unbridled demons’ in time, the expansion of the BJP’s ‘torture camps’ would not have reached this extent,” it remarked.

The editorial concluded by asserting that practices once associated with authoritarian regimes are now being witnessed in what it described as a “Hindu Rashtra,” alleging systematic state-sponsored targeting of political opponents.(Agency)