The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (19 May) initiated formal contempt proceedings against several senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, over allegations that a coordinated social media campaign was carried out against a sitting High Court judge during proceedings linked to the Delhi excise policy matter.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja issued notices to the leaders and asked them to place their responses on record within four weeks.
The proceedings arose from an order passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who recently expressed concern over online content circulated during hearings connected with the excise policy dispute.
Besides Kejriwal and Sisodia, notices were also issued to AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Vinay Mishra and Durgesh Pathak.
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Earlier, some of the leaders had sought Justice Sharma’s recusal from hearing matters connected to the case. While rejecting that request, the judge had observed that attempts to question the credibility of courts through public campaigns could weaken faith in the judicial process.
After considering the matter, the division bench issued formal notices in the suo motu criminal contempt case and granted the proposed contemnors four weeks to file their replies.
The matter is expected to be taken up again after responses are submitted.
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