New Delhi: After coming out of prison after 17 months, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on Saturday morning shared his first selfie on X showing a moment enjoying a cup of tea with his wife.
Sisodia in his post wrote, “Aazaadi ki subah ki pehli chai …17 mahine baad!” (First tea on the morning of independence … after 17 months!), expressing the joy of regained liberty. He expressed gratitude for the freedom guaranteed by the Indian Constitution and the gift of life itself.
“The freedom that the Constitution has given to all of us Indians as a guarantee of the right to life. The freedom that God has given us to breathe in the open air with everyone,” he said further in his X post.
आज़ादी की सुबह की पहली चाय….. 17 महीने बाद!
वह आज़ादी जो संविधान ने हम सब भारतीयों को जीने के अधिकार की गारंटी के रूप में दी है।
वह आज़ादी जो ईश्वर ने हमें सबके साथ खुली हवा में साँस लेने के लिए दी है। pic.twitter.com/rPxmlI0SWF
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 10, 2024
His release from Tihar Jail on Friday was met with jubilant celebrations by AAP leaders and family members. Sisodia, in turn, paid tribute to B.R. Ambedkar, attributing his freedom to the strength of the Indian Constitution. “Ever since this order came in the morning, every inch of my skin has been feeling indebted to Babasaheb. I don’t understand how we will pay off this debt to Babasaheb,” he mentioned in his first speech after coming out of jail.
The top court granted him bail and highlighted the injustice of prolonged incarceration without trial. The court also pulled up the lower courts for depriving him of the right to a speedy trial. The court ruled that the delay in trial and prolonged imprisonment constituted a valid reason for bail, even in money laundering cases, despite the stringent provisions of the PMLA.
Sisodia was arrested on February 26 2023 by the CBI, followed by his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on March 9 2023 as part of a money laundering investigation. He also resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023