New Delhi, May 22: The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Rai and investigative journalist Sourav Das. This notice was released under a criminal contempt petition, alleging that both individuals disseminated offensive and contemptuous material on social media against Justice Swarnakanta Sharma. The case is reportedly linked to the alleged excise policy scandal.
The petition, filed by Ashok Chaitanya, also sought to initiate contempt proceedings against AAP’s national convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, as well as party leader Sourav Bhardwaj.
However, Justices Naveen Chawla and Ravinder Dudejia noted that Kejriwal and Bhardwaj had already received notices from the High Court regarding contempt proceedings initiated on its own accord.
The court directed that both cases be heard together, scheduling the next hearing for August 4. Additionally, it ordered new parties to file their responses and instructed the preservation of the social media content in question.
The court appointed senior advocate Rajdeepa Behura as amicus curiae, directing her to provide all relevant documents.
The petition alleges that after Kejriwal and other accused received relief from the trial court in the excise policy corruption case, the CBI filed a revision petition in the Delhi High Court, which was listed before Justice Swarnakanta Sharma.
Subsequently, it is alleged that a “coordinated campaign” was launched on social media during attempts to remove Justice Sharma from the case, making serious allegations of bias and conflict of interest against the judge.
The court had previously stated that such campaigns aimed at discrediting the judiciary interfere with judicial processes and undermine the institution’s dignity, although a limited degree of criticism is acceptable.
Later, Justice Swarnakanta Sharma recused herself from the case, transferring it to another bench.
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