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‘Aajkal vakeel…’: CM Rekha Gupta jabs Kejriwal as he personally argues for HC judge Sharma to drop off his case
Rekha Gupta accused Arvind Kejriwal of disregarding democracy and said that he always questioned all government agencies that spoke against him.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday lashed out at AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal a day after his appearance in court in which he made arguments seeking justice Swarana Kanta Sharma's recusal from hearing the CBI appeal in the Delhi excise policy case.
Taking a dig at the former chief minister, Rekha Gupta quipped: “Aajkal Kejriwal sahab vakeel ho gaye hain (Mr Kejriwal is a lawyer these days).” She accused the AAP leader of disregarding democracy and said that he always questioned all government agencies that spoke against him.
“I want to ask, when something goes in your favour, you say there's no one better than you... What fear is haunting you today that you've started pointing fingers at the judiciary?” Gupta said, speaking in Hindi, adding that the “country has complete faith in the justice system”.
RSS events, ‘declared guilty': Kejriwal's arguments
Rekha Gupta's criticism of Kejriwal came following the AAP leader's submissions to the court that he made in person on Monday, a plea he said was based on "reasonable apprehension of not getting a fair hearing."
Along with former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and four others, Kejriwal sought Justice Sharma's recusal from hearing the liquor policy in her presence during the hearing.
Also Read: Who is Delhi HC's Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, whom Arvind Kejriwal wants off his case
"I was almost declared guilty. I was almost declared corrupt. Kewal saza sunani baaki reh gayi thi (Only the sentence was left to be pronounced)," he reportedly said, casting doubts on the judge's neutrality in the case.
He also cited four events of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad that he said justice Sharma attended, and wondered if she "sympathised" with the ideology of the BJP and its parent body RSS.
At this, justice Sharma asked the AAP leader if she had made any ideological or political statements; but he said just her attendance at the events was enough. Kejriwal argued that Justice Sharma has a conflict of interest in the case, and the issue of recusal was between him and the judge, with CBI having no locus.
‘You can become a lawyer’
As Kejriwal pleaded his case, Justice Sharma told the AAP leader that he had "argued well" and he can become a lawyer.
"You argued well. Aap vakeel ban sakte hain," Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
According to a LiveLaw report, the judge also said she learnt a lot about “recusal jurisprudence” from what the former chief minister said.
“I learnt a lot about recusal jurisprudence. For the first time in my life someone has asked me to recuse. I learnt a lot. I hope I will give a good judgment,” said Justice Sharma, who's to rule on a plea that's essentially casting doubts at her stand in the case, according to the publication.
