Delhi HC Sends Contempt Notice to Kejriwal Over Social Posts

The notice has also been sent to Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Vinay Mishra.

A division bench of the Delhi High Court directed all the leaders to file their replies within four weeks. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for August 4.

Court Orders Preservation of Social Media Records

The High Court also ordered that all social media posts, videos, and electronic records connected to the case should be preserved safely.

The judges said these records could play an important role during the hearing of the case and may be used as evidence in the proceedings.

How the Dispute Began

The dispute between Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma and Arvind Kejriwal started after a lower court discharged Kejriwal and others in the Delhi excise policy case on February 27.

After the lower court’s decision, the Central Bureau of Investigation challenged the order in the Delhi High Court.

On March 9, Justice Sharma stayed the lower court’s order and also paused some related proceedings. After this, Kejriwal requested that the matter be transferred from Justice Sharma’s bench. However, Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya rejected the request.

Kejriwal and Other Leaders Boycotted Proceedings

Later, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and some other leaders requested Justice Sharma to recuse herself from the case. Justice Sharma refused to step aside.

On April 27, Kejriwal announced that he would boycott the court proceedings. After this, Manish Sisodia and other leaders also decided not to attend the hearings.

Justice Sharma Initiates Contempt Proceedings

Justice Sharma later initiated contempt proceedings against Kejriwal and then withdrew herself from hearing the matter further.

She said that after refusing to recuse herself from the case, Kejriwal allegedly began making statements against the court and tried to intimidate the judiciary through social media campaigns and public remarks.

According to Justice Sharma, instead of challenging the court’s order in the Supreme Court, Kejriwal used social media and public statements to question the fairness and independence of the judiciary.

Court Says Such Actions Can Harm Trust in Judiciary

The court observed that such actions could damage public trust in the judiciary and lower the respect people have for courts and judges.

Justice Sharma stated that attempts to spread distrust against the court or question judicial independence publicly could undermine the authority and dignity of the judicial system.