LegalAction – Delhi High Court Expands Contempt Proceedings Against AAP Leaders
LegalAction – The Delhi High Court has widened criminal contempt proceedings linked to alleged social media remarks against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, issuing notices to AAP leader Gopal Rai and a journalist over accusations of participating in an organised online campaign targeting the sitting judge.
The order was passed on Thursday by a Division Bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja while hearing a petition moved by advocate Ashok Chaitanya. The plea sought contempt action after receiving approval from Delhi Government Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal) Sanjeev Bhandari.
Court Takes Serious View of Allegations
During the hearing, the Bench stated that the Court had already acknowledged the contempt matter and noted that related proceedings were already underway. The judges observed that repeatedly adding new cases on similar allegations could make the matter difficult to manage.
According to the order, the allegations involve attempts to scandalise the judiciary and interfere with the administration of justice through coordinated posts shared on social media platform X. The Court noted that similar accusations had previously been examined in a connected suo motu criminal contempt case involving other political figures.
The Bench decided that the material submitted in the latest petition would be linked with the ongoing contempt proceedings to avoid duplication of hearings.
Notices Issued to Additional Respondents
While the Court had earlier issued notices to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj in the connected matter, Gopal Rai and the journalist named in the petition were not part of those proceedings. As a result, fresh notices were issued to them.
The Court directed both respondents to appear in the matter, which has now been scheduled for further hearing on August 4, 2026. Notices were issued without requiring process fees.
The Bench also ordered that all social media posts and digital material referred to in the petition should be preserved by the Registry for examination during the proceedings.
Senior Advocate Appointed to Assist Court
The High Court confirmed that Senior Advocate Rajdipa Behura would continue assisting the Court as amicus curiae in the connected contempt proceedings. Since an amicus had already been appointed in the related suo motu case, the Bench said there was no need to appoint another legal expert separately for the present petition.
In addition, the Court directed that Arvind Kejriwal and Saurabh Bhardwaj should receive copies of the material relied upon by the petitioner in the current case.
Background Linked to Delhi Liquor Policy Matter
The petition filed by advocate Ashok Chaitanya claims that several AAP leaders and others allegedly carried out a coordinated online campaign against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma while proceedings were pending in a CBI revision petition connected to the alleged Delhi liquor policy case.
According to the plea, posts circulating on social media during the hearings attempted to influence public perception regarding the judicial process. The Court has not yet examined the truthfulness of the allegations, and the matter remains under consideration.
The Bench clarified that combining related petitions would help ensure smoother proceedings and avoid unnecessary multiplication of cases involving substantially similar allegations.
The upcoming hearing in August is expected to focus on responses filed by the respondents and examination of the preserved digital material placed before the Court.