Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma recuses from Karti Chidambaram plea in Diageo Scotland-linked CBI case

New Delhi: Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday recused herself from hearing a plea filed by Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram seeking quashing of a CBI corruption case linked to alleged bribery involving Diageo Scotland.

When the matter came up, Justice Sharma declined to hear the case, which will now be placed before another Bench, subject to the orders of the Chief Justice, the master of the roster.

Chidambaram has sought the quashing of the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 1, 2025, accusing him of influencing public servants to secure relief for Diageo Scotland over a ban on duty-free sale of its whisky.

In his plea, the Congress MP has contended that he was never called during the preliminary enquiry and denied an opportunity to present his stand before the registration of the FIR.

He has also argued that there was an unexplained delay of nearly two decades, as the allegations pertain to the period between 2004 and 2010, while the FIR was lodged only in 2025. Chidambaram has further submitted that there is no allegation that he either demanded or accepted any bribe or illegal gratification, and therefore, offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act are not made out against him.

This is not the first time Justice Sharma has recused from a matter involving Chidambaram. Earlier, she had recused herself from hearing his plea challenging a trial court order framing charges in the alleged Chinese visa scam case.

In that matter, Chidambaram has challenged the December 23, 2025, order of a special CBI court, which framed charges against him for criminal conspiracy and bribing a public servant over alleged irregularities in the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals in 2011. According to the CBI, around 250 Chinese workers were allegedly granted project visas for a Punjab-based power project in violation of Ministry of Home Affairs norms.

Justice Sharma has also recently recused herself from hearing former AAP MLA Naresh Balyan’s bail plea in a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Balyan, who was rearrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in December 2024 under MCOCA shortly after securing bail in an extortion case, faces allegations of involvement in organised crime syndicates linked to extortion and arms trafficking.

Separately, Justice Sharma continues to hear the pending criminal revision petition filed by the CBI challenging a trial court order discharging all 23 accused, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in the corruption case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.

Kejriwal and Sisodia have both sought her recusal from the matter.

Justice Sharma had earlier rejected Kejriwal’s request, observing that though the “easier path” would have been to recuse without hearing the application, she chose to decide it on merits in the interest of institutional integrity. Subsequently, Kejriwal wrote to the judge stating that he would neither appear personally nor through counsel in the proceedings, saying he had lost hope of getting justice.

A day later, Sisodia sent a similar communication, stating that he too would abstain from participating further and that the decision was guided by conscience rather than hostility towards the judiciary.

IANS