A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, wrote to the Delhi High Court’s Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma saying he would neither appear before her in person nor through counsel in proceedings linked to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy case, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has sent a similar communication to the judge, stating that he, too, would abstain from further participation in the matter.
He added that the decision was rooted in conscience and not hostility towards the judiciary. In his letter, Sisodia said he was in “respectful agreement” with the stand taken by Kejriwal and that he was adopting the course inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of Satyagraha.
“Having done so, I find myself in respectful agreement with the stand taken by him, which is based on Mahatma Gandhi's teachings on Satyagraha,” Sisodia wrote, referring to Kejriwal’s earlier letter to Justice Sharma. He said he had carefully considered the contents of Kejriwal’s communication and found that the concerns raised therein also weighed upon his own mind.
“I do not propose to repeat each and every aspect of what has already been stated in detail by him. But I must record that the troubling concerns flagged there are concerns that weigh upon my mind as well,” the letter said. Sisodia further said that after reflection, he had reached the same conclusion as Kejriwal.
“The question before me is therefore a simple one: Can I, with honesty, continue to take part in these proceedings while carrying a serious apprehension about the appearance of impartial justice? After much reflection, my answer is similar to Mr. Kejriwal's.
I cannot,” he wrote. Sisodia said his decision was rooted in conscience rather than hostility towards the judiciary and stressed that his faith in the constitutional institution of courts remained intact. “My respect for the judiciary remains undiminished.
It is precisely because courts occupy so vital a place in our constitutional life that circumstances capable of shaking public confidence must be treated with the utmost seriousness,” Sisodia stated. The former Deputy CM said he intended no discourtesy to the judge and harboured no ill will towards her or her family, but added that continued participation in the proceedings would amount to a “surrender of conscience”.
“Accordingly, and for reasons substantially aligned with those set out by Mr. Arvind Kejriwal in his letter to you, I respectfully state that I, too, shall not participate in further proceedings in this matter before this Hon'ble Court, whether personally or through counsel,” the letter said.
Sisodia acknowledged that such a step could prejudice his legal interests and expose him to adverse consequences, but said he was prepared to bear that burden. “A litigant may sometimes have to choose between convenience and conscience. In the present case, my conscience, too, leaves me with no dignified alternative,” he wrote.
The latest development comes amid the pending criminal revision petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) before the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court’s discharge of all 23 accused, including Kejriwal and Sisodia, in the corruption case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.
Justice Sharma had earlier rejected Kejriwal’s plea seeking her recusal, observing that though the “easier path” would have been to recuse without hearing the application, she chose to decide the matter on merits in the interest of institutional integrity.