Delhi HC Issues Criminal Contempt Notice To Kejriwal, Sisodia Over ‘Vilifying’ Post Against Judge
Delhi HC Issues Criminal Contempt Notice To Kejriwal, Sisodia Over ‘Vilifying’ Post Against Judge Published By, Last Updated: May 19, 2026, 13:03 IST Delhi High
Delhi HC Issues Criminal Contempt Notice To Kejriwal, Sisodia Over ‘Vilifying’ Post Against Judge Published By, Last Updated: May 19, 2026, 13:03 IST Delhi High Court issues criminal contempt notice to Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma Delhi HC issued a criminal contempt of court notice to Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly “vilifying" Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. (Source: PTI) Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a criminal contempt of court notice to the state’s former chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, along with AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj and others, for allegedly “vilifying" Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma through a targeted campaign across social media platforms. The notice was issued by a division bench, comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja, on the suo motu contempt case initiated against them by Justice Sharma. The court has asked all the alleged contemnors to submit their responses within four weeks. Also Read: As Delhi HC Initiates Contempt Proceedings Against Arvind Kejriwal, A Look At High-Profile Cases “Issue notice.
The alleged contemnors will file their response within a period of four weeks from the receipt of notice," the court stated and listed the case for next hearing on August 4. The court has also directed the Registry to keep the copies of the ‘derogatory’ material, which triggered the criminal contempt. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma was hearing the plea filed by CBI against discharge of all accused in the excise policy case. The judge has now transferred the case to another bench. Justice Sharma Initiates Criminal Contempt Proceedings Against Kejriwal On May 14, Justice Sharma initiated criminal contempt proceedings against Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and several other AAP leaders over social media posts that she described as “vilifying" in nature and directed at her in the excise policy case. The judge observed that the former Delhi chief minister had “orchestrated a calculated campaign" against her on social media rather than availing remedies available under the legal process. She also stated that the CBI’s plea challenging the discharge of all accused in the liquor policy case would now be heard by a different bench.
Justice Sharma also objected to posts made by the proposed contemnors that allegedly attributed “political allegiance" and “affiliation" to her. She further referred to the circulation of what she termed an “edited" video of a speech delivered by her at an educational institution in Varanasi, saying it was used to target her publicly. Also Read: Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma Recuses From Excise Policy Case Against Arvind Kejriwal, Others The judge additionally took note of video clips from court proceedings being circulated online, remarking that the proposed contemnors were attempting to build a “parallel narrative" around the matter. She said “remaining silent" in the face of such actions would not amount to judicial restraint, but instead be seen as “surrender before a powerful litigant". The developments came after a trial court on February 27 discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia and 21 others in the excise policy case, holding that the prosecution’s case was wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stood discredited in its entirety. Subsequently, after Justice Sharma rejected pleas seeking her recusal from hearing the CBI’s petition against their discharge on April 20, Kejriwal, Sisodia and AAP leader Durgesh Pathak wrote to her saying they would neither appear before her personally nor through legal counsel and would instead follow “Mahatma Gandhi’s path of Satyagraha".
News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 19, 2026, 12:39 IST News india Delhi HC Issues Criminal Contempt Notice To Kejriwal, Sisodia Over ‘Vilifying’ Post Against Judge Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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