Overview
- The Delhi High Court on Monday listed the CBI’s revision petition contesting the trial court’s February 27 discharge of 23 accused for hearing on July 16.
- The case was moved from Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma to Justice Manoj Jain after Justice Sharma initiated suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against several AAP leaders for alleged vilifying posts.
- Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak ended their earlier boycott and filed vakalatnamas authorising counsel to act for them, with the court checking those filings before fixing a hearing timetable.
- The CBI argues the trial court’s order was flawed and has filed affidavits of service on key accused; the trial court had sharply criticised the CBI’s probe when it discharged the accused on procedural and evidentiary grounds.
- The case carries sharp political and human consequences given high-profile arrests during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign and long pretrial custody for leaders such as Kejriwal and Sisodia, and the July listing will determine the schedule for resolving the dispute.