Delhi HC Sends Notice to Kejriwal, Sisodia in Contempt Case Over Social Media Posts
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, in a criminal contempt case linked to alleged social media posts targeting the judiciary.
A division bench of the court on Tuesday asked Kejriwal and six other AAP leaders to respond to allegations that “contemptuous material” was shared online against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma and the judicial system. The matter was taken up suo motu by the High Court after concerns were raised over a coordinated online campaign.
Apart from Kejriwal and Sisodia, notices were also issued to AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, Vinay Mishra, and Devesh Vishwakarma, who is reportedly linked to the party’s social media operations.
The bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja directed court authorities to preserve all relevant social media posts and digital records connected to the case. The court also said an amicus curiae would be appointed to assist during proceedings.
The controversy began after Justice Sharma refused to recuse herself from hearing petitions filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged Delhi excise policy case. Following that decision, several AAP leaders publicly questioned the judge’s impartiality and alleged bias.
In her detailed order, Justice Sharma accused the leaders of running a “calculated campaign of vilification” aimed not only at her personally but also at weakening public faith in the judiciary. She observed that attempts were allegedly made to “sow distrust” through online messaging and public statements.
Earlier this year, Kejriwal, Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak had refused legal representation before Justice Sharma’s bench, claiming they feared bias because of the judge’s alleged association with the RSS-linked legal body Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad and professional links involving her family members.
The court has granted the accused four weeks to file their replies. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for August 4.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
