3 min readNew DelhiApr 6, 2026 05:30 AM ISTAAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal. (ANI Photo/File)Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to appear personally before the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in the case challenging a trial court’s verdict discharging him along with 22 other accused in the alleged excise liquor policy scam.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEOThe high court is currently hearing appeals by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the trial court verdict that declined to put Kejriwal and the other accused on trial. On February 27, a trial court in Delhi had discharged all the 23 accused in the corruption case related to the excise policy. The case was listed before Justice Sharma, whose roster deals with criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs.At least three applications, including one by Kejriwal, were filed in the appeal seeking Justice Sharma’s recusal from the case. These applications are expected to be taken up for hearing on Monday.Also Read | Why Raghav Chadha lost AAP’s trust: Inside the disconnect between party, Arvind Kejriwal’s former protégéOn March 9, the bench stayed the trial court’s observations recommending departmental action against the Investigating Officer (IO). The order was passed ex parte without hearing arguments on behalf of the accused.In the 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 case of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) should be deferred.Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others had in March sought the intervention of Justice DK Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, to transfer the case from Justice Sharma’s roster to “any other appropriate bench”. They argued that there exists a “grave, bona fide, and reasonable apprehension that the matter may not receive a hearing marked by impartiality and neutrality.”However, the representation was rejected, and an appeal was filed before the Supreme Court – which is currently pending.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 ... 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