Liquor Policy Case: Arvind Kejriwal to argue in person in court; seek judge’s recusal

New Delhi: A new development has emerged in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal will appear and argue in person before the High Court on Monday in a case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

Arvind Kejriwal and several other accused in the case have filed an application in the Delhi High Court, seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from hearing the case.

What did the AAP say?

According to the Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal is expected to personally appear before the Delhi High Court on Monday and present his arguments. 

Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and other senior AAP leaders, who were discharged in the case by a Delhi court recently, had earlier moved a recusal application before the court, urging Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma not to hear the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appeal against the discharge order of the lower court which had favoured AAP leaders in the controversial case.

Earlier, the AAP leaders had also written to Delhi High Court Justice Devendra Upadhyaya and requested that the matter be transferred to some other Bench rather than the single Bench of Justice Sharma. The HC had, however, declined the request.

What is the hearing about?

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging a trial court order that acquitted Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and others in a case related to alleged non-compliance with summons during the probe in the liquor policy case.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal and Sisodia have been granted more than two weeks to file their responses in the proceedings related to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition. The High Court has given them a final opportunity to submit their responses by April 22, 2026.

What is there in the ED's petition?

The ED's petition seeks the removal of comments made by the CBI-ED special court against the investigating agencies, which it termed "unnecessary." In its application, the ED argued that the lower court's comments were irrelevant to the CBI case and were made without hearing the agency. The ED further stated that these comments violate the principles of natural justice and have caused irreparable damage to its credibility.

On January 22 order, the Rouse Avenue Court had acquitted Kejriwal, Sisodia, and others, in the case over skipping summons, observing that the Enforcement Directorate failed to establish that he had deliberately disobeyed its summons.

On March 30, the Enforcement Directorate approached the Delhi High Court challenging Kejriwal's acquittal in the summons case. 

What is a recusal application?

A recusal application is a request to a judge to recuse themselves from hearing a case. This occurs when a party believes the judge will not or cannot provide a fair hearing, or if the judge has a personal, professional, or prior connection to the case, or if there is a potential for bias. A recusal application is filed with the court.