New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday wrote “Truth has triumphed. Gandhi’s Satyagraha has once again triumphed” in a veiled reaction — on social media platform X — after Delhi High Court judge Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma recused herself from hearing the CBI’s revision plea against the discharge of AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and ex-Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, in the excise policy case.
Justice Sharma, however, said she would continue to hear the criminal contempt proceedings against the AAP leaders.
Pronouncing her order, the judge said: “I refuse to be intimidated,” while observing that the campaign directed against her was not merely personal but amounted to an attack on the judiciary itself.
Justice Sharma observed that Kejriwal had designed a calculated campaign of vilification in the digital space, which extended beyond criticism of her as an individual judge to undermining the institution of the judiciary.
She noted that Kejriwal’s letter, in which he declared he would remain unrepresented and had lost faith in her court, along with similar actions by Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak, fell within the ambit of criminal contempt under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act.
The judge emphasised that such conduct, if left unchecked, would send a dangerous message that courts could be subjected to organised public pressure.
The court also took exception to edited videos circulated online, including one showing Justice Sharma delivering a lecture at a university in Varanasi.
She remarked that these videos were “extremely vilifying, extremely contemptuous and defamatory”, and noted that even fact-checking organisations had confirmed that they were manipulated.
The judge further observed that family members had also been dragged into the narrative, intensifying the humiliation.
Rejecting pleas seeking her recusal, Justice Sharma said unfounded allegations of bias not only tarnish individual judges but also cast aspersions on the collective integrity of the judiciary.
She stressed that silence in the face of such campaigns could be misconstrued as weakness and asserted that the court had to speak firmly to protect constitutional discipline.
“Justice in Bharat shall remain fearless,” she declared, adding that the judiciary must stand up for itself when intimidation masquerades as public discourse.
The contempt proceedings will now continue, while the excise policy case will be listed before another judge.
Justice Sharma’s order makes clear that the judiciary will not bend under pressure, reaffirming its role as a refuge for citizens against arbitrariness and excess.
Her stance indicate that while criticism of judicial decisions is permissible, campaigns designed to scandalize and delegitimize the institution will not be tolerated.
(IANS)
