India, May 15 -- New Delhi

Delhi high court judge, justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, on Thursday initiated contempt proceedings against former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders but withdrew from hearing both the contempt case as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI's) appeal against a trial court order discharging Kejriwal and others in the Delhi excise policy case.

Justice Sharma said that the law did not permit a judge who has initiated contempt proceedings - in this case against Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bhardwaj over allegedly defamatory, contemptuous and vilifying material posted against the judge on social media - in relation to a matter ...