New Delhi, May 19 (H.S.): The Delhi High Court has issued notices to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five others in contempt proceedings related to the Delhi excise policy case.
Hearing the matter, a bench led by Justice Naveen Chawla directed all respondents to file their replies within four weeks. The next hearing has been scheduled for August 4.
The High Court also directed its registry to preserve the allegedly contemptuous content. Earlier, on May 14, a bench headed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had issued contempt notices against Kejriwal and five others, including Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Vinay Mishra, and Durgesh Pathak.
The bench later recused itself from hearing the matter and referred it to another bench for further proceedings.
Justice Sharma had observed that failure to act in such cases could lead to disorder. She further stated that when an institution is placed on trial, it becomes the duty of the judge not to be influenced by such allegations.
The court noted that a coordinated social media campaign had allegedly been carried out through letters and videos, which were widely circulated, creating what it described as a “parallel narrative” outside the courtroom.
Justice Sharma observed that she had been trained to accept fair criticism and dissent, but said that the campaign not only targeted an individual judge but also brought the judiciary as a whole into question.
She further noted that some individuals involved in the campaign held political power and that edited videos were circulated on social media. She said that after delivering her judgment, the accused had the option to approach the Supreme Court but instead allegedly launched a social media campaign against her.
Justice Sharma reiterated that her duty is towards the Constitution, and that she would deliver her judgment impartially despite the allegations. She also rejected Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking recusal from hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) petition in the Delhi excise case acquittal order, stating that she would decide the matter without being influenced by such claims, as she has done throughout her 34-year judicial career.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
