AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal hailed the recusal of a Delhi High Court judge Swarana Kanta Sharma from hearing matters related to the liquor policy case involving him and other leaders of the party. Without specifically mentioning the context, Kejriwal said that Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of Satyagraha had prevailed and that it was a victory of truth.
“Truth has triumphed. Gandhi ji's Satyagraha has triumphed once again,” the former Delhi CM posted on X.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Thursday recused herself from hearing the excise policy case further, in which Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are among the accused. She stated that the matter would now be placed before another bench.
The Delhi High Court judge also announced that she would begin contempt proceedings against Kejriwal, senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and others over allegedly defamatory and contemptuous posts shared on social media targeting her and the court in relation to the Delhi excise policy case.
At the same time, the court clarified that the recusal order would remain unchanged. However, since Justice Sharma had initiated contempt proceedings, it would be appropriate for the case to be assigned to a different judge.
Kejriwal-Sisodia refuse to pursue case before Justice Sharma-led courtroom
Earlier, Kejriwal announced that he will no longer pursue his case related to the excise policy matter in the courtroom of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, stating that he has lost hope of getting justice from her. He also wrote a letter to Justice Sharma in this regard.
Following the lead, Manish Sisodia also announced that he would not appear before the courtroom of the aforementioned Delhi HC judge over similar concerns.
Both leaders thereafter visited Raj Ghat, announcing that they would embark on Mahatma Gandhi’s path of “Satyagraha”.
Kejriwal’s plea seeking Justice Sharma’s recusal rejected
The Delhi High Court on April 20 dismissed a petition filed by Arvind Kejriwal and others seeking the removal of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma from hearing matters linked to the Delhi excise policy case.
While turning down the request, Justice Sharma said the allegations levelled against her were unsupported and lacked any credible material. The court noted that the claims raised by the petitioners were based only on unverified assertions questioning her impartiality and integrity.
“When I began to pen this judgment, the courtroom had fallen silent. What remained was the weight of being a judge who had taken the oath of the Constitution of India, that is Bharat. I realised my silence as a judge was itself put to test, and the question now was about the fairness of the judge and the institution itself," she said while announcing the judgement.
