Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal has decided not to appear before Delhi High Court Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, either personally or through a lawyer, in the excise policy case.
AAP sources said that Kejriwal had written to Justice Sharma expressing complete distrust in her.
“My hope of receiving justice from Justice Swarana Kanta Ji has been shattered. Therefore, I have decided to follow the path of Gandhiji’s Satyagraha. Heeding the voice of my conscience, I have made this decision,” Kejriwal said in the letter.
“I reserve the right to approach the Supreme Court of India to appeal against her verdict,” he added.
The former chief minister’s decision came after the high court dismissed his plea seeking the recusal of Justice Sharma from hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea against his discharge in the case.
Kejriwal had alleged a perceived conflict of interest arising from the empanelment of the judge’s children as Central government counsel, arguing that this created a reasonable apprehension of bias.
He also raised several objections to Justice Sharma hearing the CBI’s plea, noting that she had earlier denied him relief on his petition challenging his arrest and had refused relief in the bail pleas of other accused, including Manish Sisodia and K. Kavitha.
Last week, Justice Sharma refused to recuse herself from hearing the CBI’s plea, rejecting the requests made by Kejriwal and others for her withdrawal from the matter.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed Justice Sharma’s decision, saying it reaffirms judicial independence. The party also alleged that the AAP was attempting to run a “coordinated campaign” to exert pressure on the court.