The Delhi High Court has rejected a request by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to transfer the excise policy case from the bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma to another judge.
In a decision communicated on 13 March 2026, Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya declined to intervene on the administrative side, stating that the CBI’s petition challenging the trial court’s discharge order had been assigned to Justice Sharma in accordance with the current roster. The Chief Justice noted that any call for recusal would need to be considered by the judge concerned, but found no grounds to order a transfer.
The development follows a letter dated 11 March from Kejriwal to the Chief Justice, in which he expressed a “grave, bona fide, and reasonable apprehension” that the matter would not receive an impartial and neutral hearing before Justice Sharma. Kejriwal’s representation, supported by other accused individuals including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, mentioned several concerns.
These included the court’s 9 March order granting interim relief to the CBI without hearing the discharged accused, the expedited handling of the revision petition, and prior rulings by Justice Sharma in related excise policy matters that were subsequently set aside or questioned by the Supreme Court.
The excise policy controversy centres on allegations of corruption and irregularities in Delhi’s now-scrapped 2021-22 liquor policy. On 27 February 2026, a trial court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 others, criticising aspects of the CBI’s investigation and recommending departmental proceedings against the investigating officer. The CBI promptly challenged that discharge order in the High Court.
On 9 March, Justice Sharma issued notice on the CBI’s plea, stayed the trial court’s directions regarding departmental action against its officer, and made prima facie observations that certain remarks in the discharge order were erroneous. The court also directed the deferral of related Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) proceedings pending resolution of the CBI matter.
The denial of the transfer request means the CBI’s challenge will continue before Justice Sharma. Kejriwal and his co-accused were discharged at the trial stage last month, but the High Court’s proceedings could potentially alter that outcome depending on the final adjudication.
