New HC bench asks Kejriwal, 2 others to respond

New Delhi: A new bench of Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked CBI to inform former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP functionaries Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak that the liquor policy case stood transferred to it and they should appear.“Ideal scenario would be if everyone is here and everyone is heard... Let them be intimated that the case has been allocated to this court. If they have to say anything or respond to the present petition, let them be served. Once everybody is here, we will draw a schedule of hearing,” Justice Manoj Jain said during the brief hearing.A quick roll call of all the respondents revealed only the three AAP functionaries were neither present nor represented by any lawyer. They had earlier announced a boycott of court proceedings after Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma rejected their plea to recuse from the case.Justice Jain listed the case for hearing on May 25 while asking CBI to inform the respondents. The agency has challenged the trial court’s order discharging all accused in the liquor policy case. The case was listed before Justice Jain after Justice Sharma released it from her court last week.During the hearing on Tuesday, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for CBI, stated that the trial court order of discharge “cannot withstand scrutiny of any court in the eyes of law”. He also emphasised that the hearing should not be delayed as it concerned a “scam in the capital of the nation”.Noting that three respondents were unrepresented, Justice Jain deferred the hearing, saying, “They should be here, duly represented by a counsel. We can take this matter further.”He orally observed that since the matter was already in the news, he assumed everyone would be aware of the change of bench. “But this is the requirement of the law also. We will not shy away from sending them fresh notice or message that now the case is before this court and, if you have anything to say, please tell us,” the judge said. Mehta said the agency would inform them as per the court’s directions.