Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court to transfer CBI plea in liquor policy case
India Today
Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of CBI's plea against their discharge in the now-scrapped excise policy case, citing apprehension over impartiality of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma's bench.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday approached the Supreme Court, requesting that the CBI's appeal against his discharge in the excise policy case be transferred from the Delhi High Court bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma to another judge.
Kejriwal, along with former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, also challenged the High Court's summons in the Supreme Court. Sisodia filed a separate petition seeking to contest the summons issued against him in the same matter.
The move came after the trial court, on February 27, discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 others in the alleged liquor policy case, sharply criticising the CBI for filing a chargesheet that "could not survive judicial scrutiny" and was "discredited in its entirety".
The central probe agency subsequently approached the Delhi High Court against this order, with the matter now slated for hearing before Justice Sharma.
In his plea to the Supreme Court, Kejriwal argued that he harboured a "grave, bona fide, and reasonable apprehension" that Justice Sharma might not conduct the proceedings impartially. The representation highlighted that Justice Sharma had, at the very outset of hearing the CBI's revision petition, recorded prima facie observations that the trial court's detailed order was 'erroneous', without giving the other side a chance to be heard.
The petition also pointed to Justice Sharma's record of handling related cases arising from the CBI FIR, including Kejriwal's petitions against arrest and bail applications of AAP leaders, as well as other accused such as Telangana Jagruti president K Kavitha.
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