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The Delhi High Court connected Friday (May 22, 2026) issued notices to AAP person Gopal Rai and a writer connected a plea seeking contempt proceedings against them implicit an alleged “orchestrated societal media campaign” against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who precocious withdrew from proceeding the Delhi excise case.
A Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja sought the basal of Mr. Rai and Saurav Das implicit lawyer Ashok Chaitanya’s petition, which besides named erstwhile Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj arsenic parties.
Observing that a contempt lawsuit has already been initiated against Mr. Kejriwal and others, the Bench listed the lawsuit for further proceeding connected August 4.
The petition alleged that portion Mr. Kejriwal’s plea seeking recusal of Justice Sharma successful the excise argumentation lawsuit was pending, Mr. Rai and Mr. Das launched a societal media run successful a “brazen effort to exert extra-judicial unit connected a sitting judge.” The plea alleged that they made “scurrilous and malicious allegations” against the judge, implying a struggle of involvement and accused her of bias.
Justice Sharma had connected May 14 initiated transgression contempt proceedings against Mr Kejriwal, Mr Manish Sisodia and different AAP leaders implicit their “vilifying” societal media posts against her successful narration to the excise argumentation case.
The justice took objection to respective societal media posts, attributing “political allegiance” and “affiliation” to her and allegedly targeting her by posting a misleading “edited” video of a code she gave astatine an acquisition instauration successful Varanasi.
On May 19, the tribunal issued announcement to Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodia, and others successful the transgression contempt case.
On February 27, the proceedings tribunal discharged Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodia and 21 others successful the liquor argumentation case, ruling that the lawsuit was incapable to past judicial scrutiny and stood discredited successful its entirety.
After Justice Sharma dismissed their applications seeking her recusal successful the CBI’s petition against their discharge successful the lawsuit connected April 20, Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodia and Mr. Pathak wrote a missive to Justice Sharma, saying that they would not look earlier her personally oregon done a lawyer and would travel “Mahatma Gandhi’s way of Satyagraha”.
After Justice Sharma released the CBI’s petition from her tribunal connected May 14, the lawsuit is present earlier Justice Manoj Jain.
