Arvind Kejriwal posted video of court proceedings on social media, Delhi High Court immediately sent notice

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sent notices to several people, including Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, for circulating the video of the court hearing related to the excise policy case on social media. The court has also given strict instructions to social media platforms to immediately remove those videos.

Why did the Supreme Court give this order?

This incident is related to Delhi Excise Policy scam. On April 13, Kejriwal himself appeared in the court and asked Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma to recuse from hearing the case. He presented his arguments for about 45 minutes. After the hearing, the video of their debate went viral on social media.

The court found that recording court proceedings without permission and sharing it publicly harms the dignity of the judicial process. Therefore, Facebook, Google, X and other platforms have been asked to immediately remove all related videos.

Recusal petition rejected

Kejriwal had filed a petition with Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma to recuse himself from the case. The court rejected this petition. Justice Sharma said in his decision that the allegations made against him are without any evidence.

He said, “When I started writing the judgment, there was silence in the court. The only burden on my mind was the oath to the Constitution.” He termed the questions raised on his impartiality as baseless.

To whom has the notice been issued?

Apart from Kejriwal, the High Court has issued notice to those who uploaded or shared the video, including Manish Sisodia, other AAP leaders and journalist Ravish Kumar. In the petition, a demand has been made to initiate contempt proceedings. Delhi Police has also been instructed to remove the unauthorized video.

Why is this step necessary?

The court believes that such recording and broadcasting can affect the judicial process. According to the rules of Delhi High Court, recording or publishing court proceedings without permission is prohibited. This step has been taken to maintain the independence and dignity of the judiciary.

The court has also made the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology a party in the case. Kejriwal and others have been given time to file their reply.