Minutes after the special judge passed his order on Friday morning, two men —old friends, colleagues, and ideological fellow travellers — stood outside the court premises. One of them, Arvind Kejriwal, wept; the other, Manish Sisodia, held him tightly.In the years and months since the allegations about the “liquor scam” began, the two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have led their lives in the shadow of prison and court visits, defending themselves against accusations of corruption. On Friday, they had reasons to celebrate the lifting of a cloud.“A sitting Chief Minister was thrown into jail, all manner of dirt was thrown on us, participants in television debates would say ‘Kejriwal is corrupt’,” Kejriwal told reporters.Also Read | Stand vindicated, Kejriwal dares PM Modi to hold immediate elections in DelhiBut “Kejriwal bhrasht nahin hai. Kejriwal kattar imaandaar hai”, he said – Kejriwal is not corrupt; he is uncompromisingly honest.From the court, the two leaders travelled to Kejriwal’s residence on Firoz Shah Road, where his wife, Sunita Kejriwal was waiting along with their two children. Soon, Sisodia’s wife Seema joined them.Videos of Kejriwal’s arrival showed Sunita, a former government officer, rushing forward as the car entered the gate. She cupped her husband’s face and embraced him. Their two children hugged the former CM and Sisodia before all of them walked into the house.“First of all, I would like to thank God. Arvindji has led his whole life with honesty, only with a vision for the country’s progress. A few power-hungry people put false allegations on us, sent these leaders to jail, and tormented us,” Sunita told reporters.Story continues below this adWhile Kejriwal was put in Tihar jail for more than five months before he was given bail by the Supreme Court in 2024, Sisodia, who was the first AAP leader to be arrested for the alleged scam, spent 17 months behind bars from February 2023 to August 2024.ALSO READ | Turning point for AAP? What Kejriwal, Sisodia clean chit in excise case means for the partyAs evening came closer, the time for sentiment and relief was over, and it was time to channel emotions into political talk at a press conference.The former CM’s car left his home and inched slowly through a crowd of supporters towards the AAP office, taking a half hour to cover the short distance.Kejriwal stood in the vehicle with a golden mace in one hand, waving, as his supporters beat dhols and raised slogans in celebration – “Jeet gaye bhai jeet gaye, aam aadmi jeet gaye (the common man has won),” “Kejriwal zindabad”, “Aam Aadmi Party zindabad”.Story continues below this adAt the party office, supporters danced, hugged each other, and smeared colours on Kejriwal’s poster, “Holi has arrived early for the party,” they said.Also Read | Act against probe officer who investigated Delhi excise policy case, need to fix accountability: Judge to CBIDelhi AAP convener Saurabh Bharadwaj was seen celebrating with his party colleagues. He posted on X: “The BJP government has everything, it’s in power in so many states, yet they had a problem even with the tiny Delhi government. They have an issue with any government that actually gets work done, because they themselves don’t want to do any work.”Around 7 pm, the crowds outside the homes of Kejriwal and Sisodia began to thin. But a steady stream of supporters kept coming, walking up to the gate with bouquets, and lining up to meet their leaders.