The Delhi High Court directed Delhi Police to take down viral videos of Arvind Kejriwal arguing in court, calling them unauthorised. The Court warned strict action against “everyone on all social media platforms” sharing such recordings.
The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Police to immediately remove all unauthorised video recordings showing Arvind Kejriwal arguing in court during the excise policy case hearing before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
According to an official from the High Court, such recordings are strictly prohibited under court rules. The official confirmed the development to Bar & Bench, emphasizing that recording or sharing court proceedings without permission is not allowed under the rules governing online hearings.
The High Court has now taken action against those responsible for circulating the videos online. The official stated that authorities are actively working to remove such content across all platforms and ensure accountability.
The official said, “everyone on all social media platforms” who has recorded and shared the videos is facing action.
The official also explained that the Court has dealt with similar violations in the past and takes such matters seriously whenever they come to notice. Referring specifically to the Kejriwal video, the official stated,
“We have taken steps. It [Kejriwal video] is one of the videos. In the past also we have taken action, and whenever such instances come to our knowledge, we write to them [law enforcement agencies] to take action,”.
The controversy began after Kejriwal personally appeared before the Delhi High Court on April 13. He argued for more than an hour, requesting Justice Sharma to recuse herself from hearing the excise policy case. Soon after the hearing ended, videos of his courtroom arguments started going viral on social media, leading to the present action by the Court.
Following Kejriwal’s arguments, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta addressed the Court and opposed the recusal request.
The excise policy case dates back to 2022, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First Information Report alleging irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The policy was allegedly manipulated to enable cartelisation and monopolisation in the liquor trade.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022. The CBI alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders received illegal kickbacks from liquor businesses. Later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also initiated a parallel investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
However, on February 27, a trial court discharged Kejriwal and 22 others, stating that no case was made out against the accused and closing the matter at that stage.
The CBI challenged this decision before the Delhi High Court, where the matter is currently under consideration by Justice Sharma. On March 9, the High Court issued notice in the case and stayed the trial court’s direction for departmental action against the investigating CBI officer.
Justice Sharma also made a prima facie observation that certain findings of the trial court appeared to be erroneous.
Following these developments, Kejriwal along with other accused including Manish Sisodia, Durgesh Pathak, Vijay Nair, Arun Pillai, and Chanpreet Singh Rayat filed applications seeking Justice Sharma’s recusal.
They argued that certain past observations and the conduct of proceedings indicated possible bias. They also referred to Justice Sharma’s attendance at an event organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad (ABAP), which is linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to support their claims.
The CBI, however, strongly opposed the recusal plea. It argued that attending a seminar organised by ABAP does not establish any ideological bias. The agency further maintained that Justice Sharma has also passed favourable orders for individuals involved in the same case, which contradicts allegations of prejudice.
The matter continues to be heard by the Delhi High Court, while the Court simultaneously cracks down on the unauthorised circulation of courtroom proceedings to maintain the sanctity of judicial processes.
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