Arvind Kejriwal: AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia move Supreme Court after Delhi HC rejects plea to transfer excise policy case | India News
AAP’s Kejriwal, Sisodia move Supreme Court after Delhi High Court rejects plea to transfer excise policy case
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Dr Arvind Kejriwal And approached senior party leader Manish Sisodia Supreme Court Later Chief Justice Md Delhi High Court A bench of Justice Swarana Kant Sharma rejected their request to transfer the CBI’s plea against their disposition in the excise policy case to another judge, the party said on Sunday.The incident came a day before the CBI’s plea challenging the discharge order was to be heard before Justice Sharma.
The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court rejected the transfer plea
According to news agency PTI, Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyay rejected the request of former Chief Minister Kejriwal and other accused to transfer the matter to the administrative side.According to sources quoted by PTI, the Chief Justice took the view that Justice Swarana Kant Sharma was hearing the CBI plea in line with the roster allocation and there was no reason to order the transfer.After that rejection, AAP said Kejriwal and Sisodia challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.
Why did Kejriwal want to transfer?
On March 11, Kejriwal, Sisodia and other accused in the excise policy case submitted a representation to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court seeking transfer of the CBI plea from Justice Sharma to another “impartial” judge.Kejriwal, in his representation, said that he had a “grave, bona fide and reasonable apprehension” that the hearing in the matter would not be fair and impartial.The CBI has appealed to the Delhi High Court against the trial court’s order acquitting Kejriwal and other accused in the excise policy case.
What happened in the high court?
While issuing notice to all the 23 accused, including Kejriwal, Justice Swarana Kant Sharma observed that certain findings and observations made by the trial court at the initial stage of framing of charges appeared erroneous and required consideration.This observation seems to have triggered the apprehensions raised by AAP leaders.Earlier, Kejriwal’s representation had argued that the high court, in the first brief hearing on March 9, had not only issued the notice, but also, without hearing the ejected accused, had recorded the prima facie view that the detailed order of the trial court was “erroneous”.The representation also objected to the High Court’s directions of the trial court and stay of observation against the Inquiry Officer, including the proposed departmental action, without spelling out specific aggravations which warrant such interim intervention.According to the representation, such relief at the threshold level and without hearing acquitted defendants has reinforced the apprehension that reconsideration petitions will not be heard with the requisite judicial detachment.
The trial court acquitted Kejriwal, Sisodia and others
Arguments on the charges in the excise policy case began in December 2025 and on February 27, a special CBI court passed a detailed order acquitting Kejriwal, Sisodia, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and all other accused in the matter.Kejriwal was arrested in June 2024 for his involvement in the case and chargesheeted in July 2024.The CBI plea challenging the discharge is now listed for hearing before Justice Swarana Kant Sharma on Monday.
