Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is currently in five-day CBI custody, resigned on Tuesday. His cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain, who has been in jail for less than a year following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, also resigned. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerjriwal has accepted their resignations.

Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

The resignations were not an acceptance of guilt in any way, AAP asserted, describing it as an "administrative step". No new ministers will join the cabinet, party sources said.

Manish Sisodia's departments will be handled by Kailash Gahlot and Raj Kumar Anand.

There are now five ministers in the Delhi cabinet, including Mr Kejriwal, who has not taken any ministry, preferring instead to pursue AAP's national plans.

Mr Sisodia was in charge of 18 departments in the government, most by an AAP legislator. After Jain's arrest in May last year, Sisodia was also allocated former's health portfolio in addition to the ones he was handling. His arrest comes at a time of presenting the Delhi government budget.

Mr Sisodia, in his resignation letter, said he has served Delhi for eight years with full dedication and wants to step away till charges are proven false. "There are likely to be more cases against me... God knows these allegations are false." 

The resignations came soon after the BJP questioned why the arrested ministers were still in the Delhi government.

Image source: PTI