Arvind Kejriwal posted an old photo on Manish Sisodia's birthday
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a birthday greeting for his jailed former deputy Manish Sisodia posted an old photo of them walking together during what appeared to be a protest.
Mr Sisodia spent his birthday in jail. He faces corruption charges linked to making a new liquor policy in Delhi.
In the photo, both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders look young.
"This friendship is very old. Our affection and trust is very strong," Mr Kejriwal said in the post on X, formerly Twitter.
"This passion of working for the public is also very old. No matter how hard the conspirators try... this trust, this affection and this friendship will never be broken," the Chief Minister said in the post.
"BJP has kept Manish in jail for the last 11 months by filing false cases. But Manish is standing firm in front of their oppression, has neither bowed down to their dictatorship till now nor will ever bow down in future. In this era of dictatorship, Manish's courage inspires us all. Happy birthday Manish," Mr Kejriwal said.
Mr Kejriwal himself is in a tense battle with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), whose summons he has skipped. The ED has said it will issue fresh summons.
Mr Kejriwal, who heads the AAP, has alleged the Centre wants to stop him from campaigning for the national election by arresting him. The ED has denied the allegations.
Mr Sisodia's application seeking a review of the Supreme Court's October 30 judgment that dismissed his bail requests was dismissed by the court on December 14.
Mr Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 last year for his alleged role in the liquor policy case.
The ED arrested him in a money laundering case stemming from the CBI's first information report (FIR) after questioning him in Tihar Jail. Mr Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28.
The Delhi government implemented the new excise policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it by the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.