Contempt plea: Delhi HC notice to AAP's Gopal Rai over campaign

Delhi HC issued contempt notices to AAP leader Gopal Rai and a journalist for an alleged social media campaign against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. The matter has been tagged with a similar suo motu case involving Arvind Kejriwal and others.

The Delhi High Court issued notices to AAP leader Gopal Rai and a journalist in a criminal contempt petition alleging that they, along with other AAP leaders, carried out a coordinated social media campaign against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, a sitting judge of the High Court.

A Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja on Thursday passed the order while hearing a petition filed by advocate Ashok Chaitanya after obtaining consent from Delhi Government Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal) Sanjeev Bhandari for initiation of contempt proceedings.

Court Observations and Proceedings

During the hearing, the Bench observed, "We have already taken cognisance of the contempt."

The Delhi High Court has appointed Senior Advocate Rajdipa Behura as amicus curiae to assist the Court in the criminal contempt proceedings initiated against Arvind Kejriwal and others over alleged remarks targeting Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.

When the petitioner submitted that there were additional respondents in the matter, the Court remarked, "We can't keep multiplying it. Otherwise, it will become unmanageable."

The Bench further stated that the material placed on record in the present petition would also be tagged with the connected suo motu contempt proceedings.

In its order, the Court recorded that the respondents were accused of allegedly "scandalising the court and interfering with the due process of justice."

The Court further noted that on substantially similar allegations, notices had already been issued earlier to other respondents/alleged contemnors, including Arvind Kejriwal and Saurabh Bhardwaj, in a suo motu criminal contempt case initiated by the Single Judge Bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.

"Keeping in view the above, we are of the view that instead of multiplying the matter, this contempt case can also be taken up with the other matter (suo motu)," the Bench observed.

Court Directives and Next Steps

However, since Gopal Rai and the journalist were not parties in the pending suo motu proceedings, the Court directed issuance of notice to them without process fee, returnable on August 4, 2026.

The Bench also directed that contemnors 1 and 2 -- Kejriwal and Saurabh Bhardwaj -- be supplied with the material relied upon in the present petition.

The Court further ordered that the Registry shall preserve the social media material relied upon in the petition.

The Bench noted that since an amicus curiae had already been appointed in the connected suo motu criminal contempt proceedings, there was no need to appoint another amicus in the present matter.

The matter is now listed for further hearing on August 4, 2026.

Background of the Petition

The petition filed by advocate Ashok Chaitanya alleges that AAP leaders and others launched a "concerted and orchestrated" campaign on the social media platform 'X' against Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma during the pendency of proceedings in a CBI revision petition related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy case. (ANI)

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