In a major escalation in the liquor policy case, Arvind Kejriwal has refused to appear before the court of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, either personally or through his lawyer, after his recusal plea was rejected.
The development comes days after Justice Sharma, in a detailed order, declined to step aside from hearing the matter, asserting that “justice is not achieved by bowing to pressure” and that judges cannot recuse themselves based on a litigant’s unfounded apprehensions. She had also remarked that personal attacks on a judge amount to attacks on the judiciary and rejected the plea as based on “conjectures” and “perceived inclinations.”
Following this, Kejriwal wrote to the judge stating he has “lost hope of getting justice” from the court and has decided to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s path of Satyagraha. He said the decision was taken after listening to his “inner voice.”
Despite boycotting the proceedings, Kejriwal maintained that he will challenge the decision before the Supreme Court of India.
Notably, Kejriwal had earlier objected to Justice Sharma hearing the case, citing previous adverse orders, including denial of relief in his arrest challenge and bail refusals of other accused like Manish Sisodia and K. Kavitha.
