India, April 28 -- Delhi high court judge Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Tuesday recused herself from hearing Congress MP Karti Chidambaram's petition seeking to quash a CBI FIR accusing him of helping UK-based liquor company Diageo Scotland secure the lifting of a ban on duty-free sale of its whisky in India.

When the matter was taken up, the judge said Karti's plea, along with a connected petition filed by Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd (ASCPL) seeking identical relief, would have to be heard by another bench. She did not specify the reason for stepping aside.

"This will have to go. List before another bench," justice Sharma said, while fixing July 21 as the next date of hearing.

The recusal comes at a time when former Delhi...