Delhi High Court judge Justice Tejas Karia on Wednesday recused himself from hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking contempt of court action against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal and journalist Ravish Kumar for recording and circulating on social media, the court proceedings in the liquor policy case.
The matter was listed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Karia. As soon as it came up for hearing, Justice Karia decided to recuse himself. The matter has now been directed to be listed before another bench on Thursday.
Filed by Advocate Vaibhav Singh, the PIL raised objections against the recording and circulation of videos showing court proceedings in which Kejriwal argued his plea seeking recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in the excise policy case.
The plea sought directions for the removal of such videos from social media platforms and also sought contempt action against several individuals. Apart from Kejriwal and Kumar, the petition named political leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, among others.
According to the petition, the videos of court proceedings were recorded and circulated on various social media platforms. It contends that such acts violate the rules governing the recording of court proceedings and are intended to mislead the public and affect the image of the judiciary.
The petition also refers to earlier steps taken by the High Court administration, which had asked the police to act against unauthorised recording and circulation of court proceedings, including the viral videos of arguments made in the recusal matter.
The plea further alleges that the circulation of such content could influence public perception and exert pressure on the judicial process.
The controversy arises from proceedings in the excise policy case, where a trial court had discharged Kejriwal and others. The Central Bureau of Investigation challenged that order before the High Court.
During the hearing of a recusal application in that case, videos of courtroom arguments were widely shared online.
Earlier this week, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma dismissed the recusal plea.
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