New Delhi, April 15 -- Arvind Kejriwal has moved the Delhi High Court seeking recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from hearing the CBI's plea challenging his discharge in the excise policy case, alleging a "direct conflict of interest" linked to the judge's family members. In an additional affidavit dated April 14, the former chief minister claimed that the judge's children are empanelled central government lawyers who receive work through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the probe agency. He argued that this raised serious concerns about "judicial detachment, independence and neutrality".
Citing information obtained through RTI and other public records, Kejriwal said thousands of cases were allocated to the judge's son, including 2,487 in 2023, 1,784 in 2024 and 1,633 in 2025. He also alleged he was not given an adequate opportunity to present rejoinder submissions before the court reserved its order on April 13 after extended proceedings.
The plea was opposed by Solicitor General Mehta, who termed the concerns "apprehensions of an immature mind" and urged the court to consider contempt action, warning against setting a precedent based on "unfounded allegations".
Separately, the High Court administration directed police to act against unauthorised circulation of court proceedings related to the case on social media. A complaint by advocate Vaibhav Singh sought action against Kejriwal and several political leaders, alleging the sharing of video clips was prohibited and intended to influence judicial proceedings.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.