Delhi HC directs Kejriwal's wife Sunita, others to take down video of CM's court proceedings

The Delhi High Court ordered Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to remove a video recording of court proceedings where her husband addressed the court after his arrest in an excise policy case.

The Delhi High Court issued an order on Saturday (June 15) directing Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to remove a video recording of court proceedings. The recording was made while her husband addressed the court in person after his arrest in the excise policy case. A Division Bench comprising Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Amit Sharma also instructed social media platforms such as X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to remove similar content related to the video recording of court proceedings once it comes to their attention.

The Court additionally ordered various other social media accounts to remove the video. The Bench also issued notices to Sunita Kejriwal, the social media platforms, and other handles that had shared the video. This decision was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Vaibhav Singh.

Singh informed the court that Sunita Kejriwal and several other social media accounts affiliated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared the audio/video of Arvind Kejriwal addressing the Rouse Avenue court. The Delhi Chief Minister personally addressed the court when he appeared before Special Judge (PC Act) Kaveri Baweja following his arrest in the case concerning Delhi's excise policy.

Advocate Vaibhav Singh has requested a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident. He argued that after Kejriwal addressed the Rouse Avenue Court on March 28, multiple social media accounts linked to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and various opposition parties recorded video/audio of the court proceedings and shared them on social media platforms.

Singh contended that according to the "High Court of Delhi Rules for Video Conferencing for Courts 2021," recording court proceedings is prohibited. He further argued that the dissemination of these videos on social media was an attempt to tarnish the image of the judiciary and its judges.