Around 6.30 pm on Friday, despite a heavy downpour, a crowd stood resolute outside Tihar Jail’s gate number 3. There was an air of anticipation, they were waiting for their leader to walk out of prison after 17 long months. A few of them began chanting slogans — ‘jail ke taale tootenge, saare neta chhootenge’ — undeterred by cars and buses blaring their horns to get past. At 6.45 pm on the dot, AAP leader Manish Sisodia stepped out. The group turned raucous, erupting in chants of “Manish Sisodia Zindabad”. As he waved to his supporters, it only spurred them to chant louder. Waiting alongside the crowd were AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who embraced Sisodia, and a teary-eyed AAP MLA and minister Atishi. His red shirt soaked in rain, the former Deputy Chief Minister then climbed atop the roof of a white SUV and uttered his first words: “Aap sabko azaad Manish Sisodia ka namaskar”. His supporters milled around, showering rose petals, as he gave a short speech. Ten minutes later, the Patparganj MLA set off for jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. By 8.30 pm, the White Creta reached the CM’s Civil Lines home. Accompanied by Sanjay Singh, Sisodia met the CM’s wife Sunita Kejriwal; she couldn’t contain her tears on meeting him. He hugged Kejriwal’s son and daughter and touched his parents’ feet as advocate Irshad stood next to him. Earlier in the day, celebrations had kicked off at the AAP’s headquarters on DDU Marg right after the Supreme Court granted Sisodia bail in the CBI and ED excise policy cases. Laddoos were distributed as supporters danced to the beat of dhol-nagadas, hailing the “win of democracy and defeat of tyranny.” Addressing the press, AAP leaders accused the probe agencies and the BJP of targeting their leaders without evidence. Sanjay Singh, also arrested by the ED in the excise case before being granted bail by the SC, said the apex court’s decision is a “victory of the justice system, victory of democracy, and a victory of the sentiments of the people of Delhi and country”. “Despite not recovering a single penny, Sisodia was kept in jail for 17 months in a fake case.,” he added, criticising the investigative agencies for not probing the BJP for corruption. Asked if Sisodia would resume his duties, he responded, “Sisodia has been unwell for the past few days. We will hold a meeting with senior leaders once he recovers, consult the CM before arriving at a decision.” AAP convener Gopal Rai said the father of Delhi’s education revolution has been granted bail. Saurabh Bharadwaj, Health and Urban Development Minister, called it a landmark judgment. Atishi, meanwhile, was inaugurating a Sarvodaya Co-Ed School in Delhi’s Dwarka when the news broke. Unable to hold back her tears, she said, “. This day will be remembered in history because today, the one who revolutionised education (in Delhi) got bail. Truth has won and it is a victory of education and victory for all students of Delhi.” Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha termed Sisodia’s bail as a victory of truth. Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, currently locking horns with the party after accusing CM Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar of assault, also congratulated Sisodia: “. I hope he will now take the lead and steer the government in the right direction.” At his Central Delhi home, the entrance was decorated with balloons in the party’s colours — blue and yellow — with a ‘welcome’ banner hung up to greet him. Throughout the day, his family, friends, and party members, arrived with flowers to greet his wife, Seema. By 9.31 pm, three hours after his release, Sisodia and his convoy finally arrived home to firecrackers and garlands while slogans of ‘Jail ke taale toot gaye, Manish Sisodia chhoot gaye,” and “Dekho dekho kaun aaya, sher aaya, sher aaya’, rent the air. As he hugged his wife, party workers looked on, hopeful that the CM too would be out soon.
