New Delhi, 21 April (H.S.):

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the Delhi High Court's rejection of Arvind Kejriwal's recusal plea against Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor of orchestrating pressure tactics on the judiciary.

At BJP headquarters Tuesday, MP Bansuri Swaraj declared Justice Sharma's Monday order established a new benchmark for judicial independence. She branded AAP a drama company with Kejriwal as director, asserting: India's justice system operates under Constitution and law, not political convenience.

Swaraj detailed Kejriwal's failed strategy: Post March 9 order, he petitioned the Chief Justice March 11 for bench transfer (denied); then approached Justice Sharma directly March 13 demanding self-recusal. This triggered what she called AAP's vile media and social media campaign targeting the judge personally—including her children.

Justice Sharma dismissed claims of prejudice based on her children's central government panel appearances or event attendance, ruling such grounds insufficient for recusal. Swaraj emphasized Kejriwal fears accountability in the excise policy scam, with the court affirming no litigant can question judicial impartiality through conjecture.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar