3 weeks ago
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The Delhi High Court connected Thursday (May 14, 2026) initiated transgression contempt proceedings against AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and others over alleged defamatory and “vilifying” societal media posts targeting Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma successful transportation with the excise argumentation case.
In a powerfully worded order, Justice Sharma said, “Though wrong the courtroom helium (Mr. Kejriwal) professed respect for the tribunal and the judicial system, extracurricular the courtroom helium orchestrated a calculated run of vilification and intimidation, alternatively of challenging the bid earlier the Supreme Court.”
Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodia and different respondents had moved applications seeking Justice Sharma’s recusal from proceeding the CBI’s entreaty against their discharge successful the excise argumentation case, alleging struggle of involvement and apprehension of bias. One of their grounds was that her children were empanelled Central authorities lawyers who received enactment done Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
After Justice Sharma declined to recuse herself, Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Sisodia and Mr. Pathak chose not to look oregon beryllium represented by counsel successful the proceedings. Meanwhile, AAP leaders besides took to societal media platforms, claiming that Justice Sharma attended 4 events organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad and contending that the lawyer’s assemblage was ideologically aligned with the BJP-RSS and that, arsenic governmental opponents, they apprehended that the justice “might beryllium sympathetic” with that ideology.
“They wanted to intimidate me. I garbage to beryllium intimidated,” the justice remarked successful unfastened court. She further observed that adjacent members of her household had been dragged into the contention done insinuations and that the run attempted to “sow seeds of distrust successful the nationalist against the judiciary”.
Justice Sharma besides directed that the CBI’s plea beryllium placed earlier different Bench. Clarifying that she was not recusing herself from the matter, the justice said she had already delivered her judgement connected the recusal plea and “stood by it”. However, since transgression contempt proceedings had present been initiated, the main lawsuit could not proceed earlier her Bench.
“Selectively edited”
Justice Sharma besides took objection to videos and societal media posts circulated by AAP leaders alleging that she had spoken astatine an RSS event. The tribunal said the video had been “selectively edited” to make a misleading narrative.
“Only a clip of 59 seconds was extracted from a video of implicit six minutes. The inheritance showing the assemblage lawsuit was cropped and edited to represent arsenic if the justice were speaking astatine an lawsuit associated with RSS and BJP, which was not the case,” the justice said, clarifying that she had successful information been speaking astatine a assemblage lawsuit successful Varanasi.
The tribunal further held that the statements made by the AAP leaders went beyond just disapproval of a judicial bid and amounted to an onslaught connected the integrity and independency of the judiciary.
“The tone, tenor and mode of the statements openly questioned the integrity, impartiality and independency of this court. Allegations of governmental affiliation and ideological alignment were circulated to represent that this tribunal was incapable of deciding matters reasonably and independently,” the bid said.
Solicitor General Mr. Mehta, who was contiguous successful the courtroom, urged Justice Sharma to proceed proceeding the main lawsuit “as much and much litigants would edifice to this benignant of unholy and sinister design”.
Major victory: AAP
Meanwhile, the AAP said successful a connection that Justice Sharma had “finally recused herself” from proceeding the matter. Calling it a “major victory”, the AAP said the determination “vindicated” the basal taken by its enactment from the precise beginning.
On this development, Mr. Kejriwal said successful a station connected X, “Truth has won. Gandhi Ji’s Satyagraha has erstwhile again emerged victorious.”
