‘Her children work for Centre’: Kejriwal files fresh affidavit seeking Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma’s recusal from hearing CBI plea against his discharge in liquor policy case

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has submitted fresh affidavit before the Delhi High Court, seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma from hearing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appeal challenging his discharge in the liquor policy scam case.

In the additional affidavit, Kejriwal has stated that Justice Sharma’s children work with Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, who is representing the CBI in the matter.

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Kejriwal, in the affidavit, said that the judge’s son is a Group A counsel representing the Centre before the Supreme Court, while her daughter is a Group C counsel serving as a pleader for the Centre before the Delhi High Court.

“I state that in the present case, the Learned Solicitor General of India, who is appearing before this Hon’ble Court for the Central Bureau of Investigation, is opposing my recusal application, and is arguing the revision petition against the discharge order passed in my favour. I respectfully state that this gives rise to a direct and serious appearance of conflict of interest. The very law officer and legal establishment representing the prosecuting side before this Hon’ble Court is also part of the institutional mechanism by which Central Government cases and Government work are allocated to the immediate family members of the Hon’ble Judge hearing the matter,” the affidavit stated.

“But in a criminal case of this nature, where the prosecuting agency is the CBI, where the Central Government’s highest law officers appear against me, and where the immediate family members of the Hon’ble Judge hold multiple live Central Government panel engagements and receive Government work through the same legal establishment and law officer, the apprehension becomes direct, grave and impossible for me to ignore,” Kejriwal’s affidavit added.

This comes a day after Justice Sharma reserved her verdict on Kejriwal’s earlier application seeking her recusal from.the matter.

The AAP chief had earlier argued himself in the court, saying there is a bias in his mind that he may not get justice, citing the judge’s alleged association with the RSS.

“There’s a lawyer’s body, Adhivakta Parishad. It is an ideological body of the BJP and RSS. Your honour has attended its events four times. The ideology they follow is something we strongly oppose and we oppose it openly. This case is political,” he has said.

“There exists in my mind today a real, grave and reasonable apprehension that this petition will not receive judicial detachment and neutrality required in a criminal case like this,” Kejriwal added.