The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted a final two-week opportunity to Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Durgesh Pathak to file their responses to the CBI’s petition challenging their discharge in the excise policy case.
Hearing Adjourned Due To Lawyers Strike
Justice Manoj Jain postponed the hearing until August 17 and 18 after no representatives for the discharged individuals appeared in court. The absence of counsel was due to an ongoing work abstention by high court lawyers protesting a proposed increase in the financial jurisdiction of Delhi’s district courts from Rs 2 crore to Rs 10 crore, which began on July 14.
CBI Urges Faster Resolution
During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, argued that the AAP leaders had already received multiple opportunities to respond and accused them of delaying the case. He requested an earlier hearing date in July or early August. Justice Jain, however, cited a heavy workload of cases involving lawmakers, making an earlier date difficult, though he agreed to re-evaluate the scheduling. The judge noted that the leaders are free to file their responses within the next two weeks, and directed all parties to submit written arguments.
Background Of The Case
The legal dispute follows a February 27 decision by a trial court that discharged former Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 others, ruling that the federal agency’s case was unsustainable. The CBI appealed this decision in the High Court, where Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma subsequently stayed a trial court recommendation to penalize the investigating officer and observed that the trial court’s findings appeared erroneous.
The case was later transferred to Justice Jain’s bench after Justice Sharma initiated criminal contempt proceedings on May 14 against Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Pathak. This action was prompted by social media posts targeting her, which followed her rejection of their applications seeking her recusal over allegations of bias.
