The excise policy case before the Delhi High Court, in which Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are among the accused, will be heard by Justice Manoj Jain.
This move comes after Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who was earlier hearing the matter, directed that the matter be transferred to another Bench in light of the contempt of court proceedings initiated by her against Kejriwal, Sisodia and other AAP leaders.
The excise policy case arose in 2022, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First Information Report (FIR) alleging that the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021-22 was manipulated to facilitate monopolisation and cartelisation of liquor trade in Delhi.
The probe agency said that AAP and its leaders received kickbacks from liquor manufacturers due to manipulation of the policy. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also later registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the matter.
On March 9, Justice Sharma issued notice in the matter and stayed the trial court direction for department proceedings against the CBI officer who investigated the case. Justice Sharma also gave a prima facie finding that some of the observations made by the trial court in its order were erroneous. She further directed the trial court to defer the PMLA proceedings, which are based on the CBI's case.
Kejriwal and other accused -Sisodia, Pathak, Vijay Nair, Arun Pillai and Chanpreet Singh Rayat - subsequently filed applications for Justice Sharma's recusal.They alleged conflict of interest in Justice Sharma hearing the matter.Kejriwal argued that Justice Sharma should not hear the case because her son and daughter are panel counsel for the Central government, giving rise to a conflict of interest on the judge's part.
Meanwhile, a Division Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja of the Delhi High Court is likely to hear on Tuesday the suo motu criminal contempt of court case initiated against Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.
The Justice Chawla-led bench currently holds the criminal contempt of court roster.Contempt proceedings have been initiated against the politicians for their "defamatory and vilifying allegations" against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who was hearing the challenge filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to the discharge of Kejriwal and others in the excise policy case.
Justice Sharma took note of these allegations and initiated the contempt proceedings against Kejriwal and others.Pertinently, in light of the initiation of the contempt case, the judge directed that the excise policy case be transferred to some other Bench since Kejriwal and Sisodia are accused in that case.
Follow us
