Justice Sharma launches contempt action against Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders
New Delhi: Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court on Thursday recused herself from hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation’s plea challenging the discharge of Arvind Kejriwal and others in the Delhi excise policy case.
Meanwhile, a contempt action has also been initiated against AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Vinay Mishra and Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj.
“It has come to my notice that extremely vilifying, extremely contemptuous, and defamatory material is being posted by some of the respondents against me and against this court and I cannot stay silent. I have decided to draw contempt proceedings against some of the respondents and some other contemnors,” Justice Sharma said during the hearing.
The judge further observed that a “deliberate attempt to lower the authority of the court cannot be permitted in the guise of free speech.”
Justice Sharma also said, “Arvind Kejriwal sought to destroy my reputation instead of availing legal remedies after I refused to recuse,” and alleged that the former Delhi chief minister had “orchestrated a calculated campaign of vilification” against her on social media.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation challenging a trial court order that discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and 21 others in the Delhi excise policy case.
On February 27, the trial court had discharged the accused, ruling that the case was unable to withstand judicial scrutiny.
The controversy escalated after Justice Sharma rejected pleas by Kejriwal and other accused seeking her recusal over alleged conflict of interest claims linked to her children being empanelled as central government lawyers.
Following the rejection of the recusal applications on April 20, Kejriwal, Sisodia and Pathak had written to the judge stating they would not appear before her “personally or through a lawyer” and would instead follow “Mahatma Gandhi’s path of Satyagraha”.
The AAP leaders have since boycotted proceedings before Justice Sharma.