Delhi Excise Scam: Kejriwal's Plea Seeking Change Of Judge Dismissed By High Court
Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said the matter has been listed for hearing before Justice Sharma's Bench as per the current roster.
Published : March 15, 2026 at 3:08 PM IST
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has denied former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal's request to transfer the excise policy case from Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma to some other Bench.
A communication to this effect was sent by the High Court's Registrar General on March 13 to eight people who sought the transfer including Kejriwal. Justice Sharma's Bench is slated to hear the matter on Monday. Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said the matter has been listed for hearing before Justice Sharma's Bench as per the current roster.
The Chief Justice said Kejriwal's request can be considered only if Justice Sharma recuses herself from hearing the case. "However, the case will not be transferred from Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma's Bench to another Bench at the administrative level," the Chief Justice clarified.
Kejriwal, on March 11, had urged the Chief Justice that the CBI and ED petitions be transferred from Justice Sharma's court to another court. Kejrwal had expressed concern that if Justice Sharma's Bench hears the matter, a fair hearing would be impossible.
Kejriwal stated in his letter to the Chief Justice that Justice Sharma had passed an order in the case without hearing his side and provided no reason for interfering with the trial court's order. The letter stated that a stay on a trial court's discharge order is granted only in exceptional circumstances, but the March 9 order did not specify the same. Kejriwal stated that an order was also passed in the ED case in a petition filed by the CBI, even as the ED was not a party.
The former Chief Minister said typically, at least four to five weeks are given to file a response in such petitions, but it was not done in the case.
On March 9, Justice Sharma, while hearing a petition challenging the trial court's order acquitting 23 accused, including Kejriwal, issued notices to all of them. The High Court stayed the trial court's adverse remarks against the CBI and ordered it not to proceed with the money laundering case related to the Delhi Excise Scam.
On February 27, the Rouse Avenue Court had acquitted the accused in the case. The court stated that the charge sheet contained significant contradictions and the facts presented in the thousands of pages of the chargesheet did not match the statements of the witnesses.
Also Read
