Delhi High Court Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Monday recused from hearing a plea filed by former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan seeking bail in a case registered against him under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Justice Sharma said that the case will be listed before a different bench on April 23.
Balyan was arrested on December 4, 2024 on allegations that he was linked to a criminal syndicate headed by gangster Kapil Sangwan.
On January 15, 2025, trial judge Kaveri Baweja rejected Balyan's bail plea, observing that there was sufficient evidence to indicate a link between the AAP leader and the organised crime syndicate headed by Sangwan.
The Rouse Avenue Court judge further held that Balyan did not satisfy the stringent requirements for bail under the MCOCA. Balyan had earlier secured bail in an extortion case on December 4, 2025 only to be arrested hours later in the MCOCA case.
Notably, on March 13, Justice Sharma had censured Delhi Police for its failure to complete the probe into Balyan even though he has been in prison since 2024.
"If you keep on investigating this case, when are they going to hear charges? A bail court will obviously say let the charges be framed first," the Court remarked.
The Court had also noted that two witnesses had retracted their statements against Balyan.