New Delhi, Sep 21: The Delhi High Court on Monday granted four weeks to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders to file their responses in a criminal contempt case concerning alleged defamatory and derogatory social media posts targeting Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
A bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Arun Bhardwaj also allowed the respondents to approach the court registry for copies of documents and other material that they said had not been supplied to them. The matter has been listed for further hearing on November 16.
The proceedings involve Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Vinay Mishra and Durgesh Pathak. The contempt proceedings were initiated in connection with social media material relating to Justice Sharma and proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case.During Monday’s hearing, senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary, appearing for Kejriwal, told the court that the respondents had not received the complete material forming the basis of the contempt proceedings.
The bench directed the registry to provide the material and granted four weeks for filing the replies.The case has its roots in developments surrounding the excise policy proceedings.
Justice Sharma had initiated criminal contempt proceedings in May after taking note of social media posts and other material allegedly targeting her. The High Court subsequently issued notices to Kejriwal and other AAP leaders in the matter.
The dispute also followed requests by Kejriwal and others seeking Justice Sharma’s recusal from proceedings connected with the excise policy case. After the contempt proceedings were initiated, Justice Sharma withdrew from the related matter, according to court records and reports.A separate contempt petition filed by lawyer Ashok Chaitanya against Kejriwal and others, including AAP leader Gopal Rai and journalist Saurav Das, has also been listed for hearing on November 16.
The petition alleges that the respondents were involved in a coordinated social media campaign against Justice Sharma. These allegations are subject to judicial consideration.
The latest order is procedural and gives the respondents an opportunity to obtain the relevant material and present their replies. The court has not, through Monday’s order, made a final determination on the allegations of criminal contempt.The matter will next come up before the Delhi High Court on November 16, 2026.
