Hopes shattered: Kejriwal refuses to appear in front of excise case judge

Former Chief Minister of Delhi and the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said he would not appear before the Swarna Kanta Sharma bench of the Delhi High Court in the excise policy case. Citing his reasons, Kejriwal accused Justice Sharma of being associated with the RSS-linked body Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad.

The former Delhi Chief Minister also accused the judge of a conflict of interest, claiming that Justice Sharma's children, who work as panel lawyers with the central government, have professional links to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is appearing against him in the case.

"I have written the following letter to Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, informing her that, pursuing Gandhian principles of Satyagraha, it won’t be possible for me to pursue this case in her court, either in person or through counsel," Kejriwal said in the video.