Delhi liquor policy ‘scam’: HC Chief Justice rejects Kejriwal’s request to transfer CBI petition

Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya has rejected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind 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 Swarana Kanta Sharma to “any other appropriate Bench” of the court.

In the communication through the Registrar General’s office, that is from the administrative side of the court, it is learnt that CJ Upadhyaya “did not find any reason” to transfer the petition as requested by Kejriwal and other accused.

CJ Upadhyaya noted in the communication dated March 13, “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.”
The judicial process allows an accused who apprehends bias to approach the High Court with a transfer petition, which is the formal legal remedy available in such cases.

On March 11, Kejriwal and other AAP leaders had written to theDelhiHC Chief Justice seeking a transfer of the case.

They cited “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’s case, including Kejriwal andManish Sisodia.

After the CBI challenged the order, the HC 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.

In her order, Justice Sharma had said that the stay was necessitated by “certain factual discrepancies” in the trial court’s order.

The HC 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), which is based on the CBI’s offence, should be deferred.

This came after the ED too had moved the Delhi HC, seeking 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.

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