Goa, May 14 -- Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court on Thursday recused herself from hearing the excise policy-related matter involving senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders after initiating criminal contempt proceedings against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and four other party leaders.

The judge stated that another bench would hear the excise policy case in order to avoid any apprehension of bias after the contempt proceedings were initiated. During the hearing, Justice Sharma observed that if she continued hearing the matter, the parties involved could later allege that she held a personal grudge against them.

The contempt proceedings were initiated over statements and social media posts allegedly targeting the...