Delhi High Court issues notices in AAP criminal contempt case

The Delhi High Court has issued notices to several leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in a criminal contempt case. The court initiated the proceedings over alleged social media posts targeting Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.

A division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja granted the leaders four weeks to file their responses and listed the matter for further hearing on August 4. The bench directed the court registry to preserve copies of the social media posts and electronic records cited in the contempt proceedings. The court indicated it may appoint an amicus curiae to assist in adjudicating the case.

The contempt case stems from an order passed by Justice Sharma on May 14. In that order, she initiated criminal contempt proceedings against Kejriwal, Sisodia, and other AAP leaders, including Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, and Vinay Mishra. Justice Sharma stated the leaders orchestrated a calculated campaign of vilification against her on social media, attributing political allegiance to her and circulating an edited video of a speech she gave. She noted...