Delhi HC judge initiates criminal contempt action against Arvind Kejriwal, other AAP leaders

The Delhi High Court’s Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Thursday initiated contempt of court proceedings against Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and several others for allegedly defaming and vilifying her on social media in connection with the liquor policy case, Bar and Bench reported.

Sharma, however, recused herself from hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation’s revision petition against their discharge in the Delhi liquor policy case.

“It could be that if I keep hearing this case, Arvind Kejriwal and other people might think that I have a grudge against him,” the legal news portal quoted her as saying. “That’s why I’ve thought that this particular case will be heard by some other bench.”

The development comes after the former chief minister, Sisodia and another AAP leader, Durgesh Pathak, decided in April to boycott the proceedings before Sharma in the petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the trial court order discharging them and several others in the case.

On April 20, Sharma rejected a petition filed by the AAP leaders demanding that she recuse herself from hearing the case. Their petition raised concerns about “perceived ideological proximity”, referring to her attending an event of an organisation linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Kejriwal also argued...

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