Justice Swarnkanta Sharma’s withdrawal from the case: Kejriwal filed a new affidavit, said- judge’s son and daughter are panel lawyers of the Centre.

Bureau Prayagraj- AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal filed an additional affidavit in his plea seeking removal of Delhi High Court judge Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma from hearing the liquor policy case. In this he has said that both Justice Sharma’s son and daughter are included in the panel as lawyers of the Central Government.

Kejriwal said that Justice Sharma’s children are entrusted with the task by the Solicitor General, who appeared before Justice Sharma on behalf of the CBI. According to him, this gives rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of Justice Sharma, necessitating his recuse from hearing the CBI’s petition against the acquittal of the accused in the liquor policy case.

On April 13, Justice Sharma had reserved his judgment on the applications filed by Kejriwal and other accused seeking their withdrawal from hearing the CBI’s review petition challenging the acquittal of all the accused in the liquor policy case. During the hearing, Kejriwal himself argued the matter. He had verbally said that there is a discussion going on on social media regarding the professional association of Justice Sharma’s children with the Central Government.

Kejriwal had said that as per established traditions, if relatives of a judge have any connection with any of the parties appearing in the case, the judge recuses himself from the hearing. After the hearing was over, Kejriwal filed this affidavit, in which he said that he has found records which show that Justice Sharma’s children are included in the panel as central government lawyers. While his son is a ‘Group A’ panel lawyer for the Supreme Court, his daughter is a ‘Group C’ panel lawyer. He cited information made public by legal reporter Saurabh Das.