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Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has decided not to appear before the High Court in the Delhi excise policy case, expressing complete distrust in Justice Swarana Kanta, according to party sources.
In a letter to Justice Swarana Kanta, Kejriwal made it clear will not appear before her, either personally or through a lawyer. He stated that he has decided to follow the path of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha. "My hope of receiving justice from Justice Swarana Kanta Ji has been shattered. Therefore, I have decided to follow the path of Gandhiji's Satyagraha. Heeding the voice of my conscience, I have made a decision," Kejriwal said in the letter, as per AAP sources. "I reserve the right to approach the Supreme Court to appeal against her verdict," he added. This comes after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta in the excise policy case. The AAP chief had alleged a perceived conflict of interest arising from the empanelment of the judge's children as Central Government counsel and argued that this creates a reasonable apprehension of bias. Delhi HC held that the allegations were based on conjecture and failed to meet the legal standard of a reasonable apprehension of bias. Leading with sharp observations, the Court emphasised that "the courtroom cannot become a theatre of perception" and cautioned that even a powerful political figure cannot be permitted to cast aspersions on a sitting judge without material evidence. It held that the same standard of fairness applies when allegations are made against the judiciary and warned that entertaining such pleas would erode institutional credibility. Justice Sharma noted that the applicants' case was built on "insinuations and aspersions" rather than proof, and that accepting such arguments would set a dangerous precedent. The Court observed that a judge cannot be asked to recuse merely because a litigant apprehends an unfavourable outcome, stating that "justice cannot be managed through perception." Later, the court also directed the removal of all social media links containing the April 13 proceedings before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in the recusal plea moved by Arvind Kejriwal (ANI)
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