3 min readNew DelhiMar 16, 2026 05:40 AM ISTAAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal. (ANI Photo/File)With the Delhi High Court rejecting his prayer to transfer the CBI’s appeal against the discharge of the accused in the excise policy case from the single judge bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday moved the Supreme Court with the request.Kejriwal is also learnt to have filed an appeal against the observations made by the high court in its March 9 order while hearing the CBI’s appeal against the trial court order discharging him and others in the case.The Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, DK Upadhyaya, rejected Kejriwal’s representation requesting for a transfer of the revision petition filed by the CBI against the discharge of the accused in the alleged liquor “scam” from the bench of Justice Sharma to “any other appropriate bench” of the court.A communication, dated March 13, coming through the Registrar General’s office of the Delhi High Court, stated that Chief Justice Upadhyaya “did not find any reason” to transfer the petition as requested by Kejriwal and the other accused.Chief Justice Upadhyaya noted in the communication: “The petition is assigned to the Hon’ble judge as per the current roster. Any call of recusal has to be taken by the Hon’ble judge. I, however, do not find any reason to transfer the petition by passing an order on the administrative side.”On March 11, Kejriwal and other AAP leaders had written to the Chief Justice seeking the transfer of the case citing “grave, bona fide, and reasonable apprehension that the matter may not receive a hearing marked by impartiality and neutrality” before Justice Sharma.On February 27, a trial court had discharged all 23 accused in the CBI case, including Kejriwal and Sisodia. After the CBI challenged the order, the high court on March 9 stayed the trial court’s observations recommending departmental action against the Investigating Officer (IO). The order was passed ex parte after no one appeared on behalf of the accused.Story continues below this adIn her order, Justice Sharma said that the stay was necessitated by “certain factual discrepancies” in the trial court’s order. The high court said that some of the trial court’s observations regarding statements of witnesses and approvers, made at the stage of charge itself, prima facie appeared to be “erroneous”.Justice Sharma also requested that the trial court’s proceedings in the Enforcement Directorate case, which is based on the CBI’s case, be deferred.The representation had followed after ED too had moved the Delhi High Court, seeking an expungement and deletion of alleged adverse remarks against the agency.The matter is now expected to be heard by Justice Sharma on Monday.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read MoreAnanthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... 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