The Delhi High Court has granted Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and other AAP leaders four weeks to file their replies in a criminal contempt case over alleged vilification of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Arun Bhardwaj listed the matter for November 16. Kejriwal’s counsel argued that complete material supporting the contempt proceedings had not yet been received. The court directed the registry to provide the documents and allowed the respondents time to respond.
The case stems from social media posts and an alleged orchestrated campaign against Justice Sharma, including edited video clips and remarks attributing political allegiance. A separate petition filed by lawyer Ashok Chaitanya against Kejriwal, Gopal Rai, journalist Saurav Das and others has also been listed for the same date.
Justice Sharma had initiated contempt proceedings in May against several AAP leaders and an X user, citing attempts to create a “parallel narrative” through social media posts instead of pursuing legal remedies. The controversy is linked to the excise policy case, in which Kejriwal, Sisodia and others were discharged by the trial court earlier this year.
The High Court’s action underscores judicial concern over online campaigns targeting judges and the need to safeguard the integrity of court proceedings.
