Delhi HC seeks replies from Arvind Kejriwal, others in criminal contempt case for remarks against Swarana Kanta Sharma J.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders on a suo motu contempt of court plea for their alleged "defamatory and vilifying" remarks against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.

A Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said,

"The proceedings have been initiated on the basis of the order date May 14. The single judge has placed reliance on the material from social media posts and other electronic and publication record. The Registry is directed to preserve copies of the same and place them before this Court...Issue notice to the alleged contemnors, namely so and so... Alleged contemnors can file their response in 4 weeks."

Even as no counsel appeared before it, the Court said that it would appoint an amicus to assist it.

The matter will be heard on August 4.

Kejriwal, Sisodia and Pathak had earlier sought Justice Sharma's recusal. However, Justice Sharma rejected their recusal application on April 20. The judge in that order said that a politician cannot be allowed to sow seeds of mistrust and that the application seeking her recusal amounted to putting the judiciary on trial.

Various posts had appeared on social media against Justice Sharma before and after the order passed by her, prompting her to initiate the contempt of court proceedings today.

In her detailed order initiating the proceedings, Justice Sharma also took note of the letters written by Kejriwal, Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak boycotting the proceedings and the video published by Kejriwal detailing his reasons to boycott the case before Justice Sharma.

In light of the initiation of the contempt case, the judge directed that the Excise Policy case be transferred to some other Bench since Kejriwal and Sisodia are accused in that case.

Subsequently, the contempt case was listed before Justices Chawla and Dudeja, while the CBI's appeal against the trial court order discharging Kejriwal and others from the Excise Policy case will be heard by Justice Manoj Jain.