Who is Delhi HC’s Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, whom Arvind Kejriwal wants off his case
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma is a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court who was elevated to the bench on 28 March 2022, after a long career in the Delhi district judiciary. She previously served in key roles such as Special Judge (CBI), Principal Sessions Judge, judge in family and motor‑accident courts, and presided over several criminal and civil benches in Delhi’s district‑court system.
Background and judicial profile
Justice Sharma is one of the relatively few women judges in the Delhi High Court and has been noted for handling sensitive criminal and civil matters, including sexual‑offences against women and special‑court assignments. She is also a trained judicial mediator and has chaired committees dealing with workplace‑harassment complaints in the subordinate judiciary.
Why Kejriwal wants her off his case
Arvind Kejriwal is appearing before Justice Sharma in the liquor‑policy (excise‑policy) case, where the CBI has challenged the trial court’s discharge of Kejriwal and other AAP leaders. Kejriwal has filed a recusal plea, arguing that he has a “reasonable apprehension of bias” because the judge allegedly attended events linked to the RSS/BJP ecosystem and, in earlier hearings, made comments that he alleges lean in favour of the ED and CBI narratives.
Current status of the recusal plea
The Delhi High Court has completed arguments on Kejriwal’s recusal application and Justice Sharma has reserved her order on whether she will step aside from the bench hearing the CBI’s challenge. She reportedly described this as the “first time” in her judicial career that such a recusal plea has been made against her, underscoring the sensitivity of the situation.
