Justice Manoj Jain will preside over the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) request challenging the discharge of Kejriwal, Sisodia, and other defendants in the corruption case associated with the purported liquor policy scam.
Previously, this matter was under the purview of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma before being reassigned due to a new roster arrangement.
The reassignment followed Justice Sharma’s initiation of suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against various AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Vinay Mishra, Durgesh Pathak, and Saurabh Bharadwaj, concerning social media posts and public comments related to the recusal issue.
Contempt case before Division Bench
The contempt proceedings are expected to be heard by a Division Bench consisting of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja, who currently oversee criminal contempt matters in the Delhi High Court, as reported by Bar and Bench.
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Justice Sharma had previously rejected applications from Kejriwal and some co-defendants requesting her recusal from the excise policy case.
In her ruling, she noted that efforts were being made to erode public trust in the judiciary. The judge also pointed to social media posts, videos, and letters that were circulated by the respondents following the rejection of the recusal request.
After the ruling, Kejriwal and Sisodia informed the court of their decision to boycott any further proceedings before Justice Sharma and indicated they would not appear, either in person or through legal representation.
Subsequently, Justice Sharma ordered that the excise policy case be moved to another Bench since some individuals involved in the contempt case were also parties to the excise case.
Release of Kejriwal and others in excise case
On February 27, the trial court discharged all 23 individuals implicated in the excise policy case, including Kejriwal, Sisodia, and K Kavitha, while critiquing the CBI’s investigation.
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The issue gained national attention following Kejriwal’s arrest during the Lok Sabha election period in 2024.
He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court after reportedly spending 156 days in custody, while Sisodia remained incarcerated for 530 days.
