New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has filed an application before the Delhi High Court seeking recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from hearing a plea related to the alleged excise policy scam.
The application pertains to a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation challenging a trial court order that discharged Kejriwal and other accused in the case. The matter is expected to be taken up soon, with Kejriwal likely to appear in person and argue his case before the court.
Earlier, Kejriwal had approached the Chief Justice of the High Court on the administrative side, requesting that the case be transferred to another bench. However, the request was declined by the court registry. Following this, he moved the Supreme
Court of India seeking transfer of the case.
The recusal plea is based on concerns over impartiality. Kejriwal has cited “grave, bona fide, and reasonable apprehension” that the matter may not receive a neutral hearing. He also referred to earlier observations made by the judge during proceedings on the CBI’s revision petition, where the trial court’s findings were termed prima facie erroneous.
The controversy stems from the excise policy case linked to the now-scrapped 2021–22 liquor policy of the Delhi government. On February 27, a trial court discharged 23 accused, including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and K. Kavitha, while also criticising the CBI’s investigation.
The case has remained politically sensitive, particularly as Kejriwal was arrested in 2024 during the Lok Sabha election period and later granted bail after spending over five months in custody. Sisodia also spent over a year in jail before securing relief.
Investigations into the policy were initiated after allegations of irregularities surfaced, following which Delhi’s then Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended a CBI probe. Central agencies have alleged that the policy was designed to favour private entities, a claim consistently denied by AAP leaders. The High Court is now expected to decide on the recusal plea before proceeding further in the matter.