Excise Policy: Justice Sharma refuses to recuse himself from the case, Kejriwal’s petition rejected

New Delhi: Delhi High Court Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma on Monday refused to recuse herself from hearing the excise policy case and dismissed the petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and others.

In the hearing that lasted for over an hour, Justice Sharma said that no litigant can be allowed to pass judgment on a judge without any evidence, and the judge cannot recuse himself from the case to allay a litigant’s unfounded fear of bias. He said that no political leader can be allowed to harm any institution without any basis, as a personal attack on a judge is an attack on the judiciary itself.

Justice Sharma concluded that the details mentioned in the petitions for his removal were based on conjectures and “alleged inclinations”. The judge said, “This court will stand up for itself and the institution… I will not recuse myself from this case.”

Kejriwal had raised several objections against the judge hearing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea against his release in the excise policy case, including that she had earlier refused to grant him relief on a plea challenging his arrest and that Manish Sisodia and K. Relief was also refused on the bail petitions of other accused including Kavita. Apart from Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak had also filed applications to recuse the judge from the case.