When politicians entered legal arena: Delhi High Court in 2024

New Delhi: Several politicians, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, entered the legal battlefield seeking reliefs ranging from bail to administrative accountability in the Delhi High Court in 2024.

When it came to litigation, AAP politicians were clearly in the majority.

The irregularities case connected to the 2021-2022 Delhi excise policy led to the arrests of AAP national convener Kejriwal and Sisodia, triggering a spate of pleas in the high court.

Kejriwal became the first-ever sitting Chief Minister of a state to be arrested.

On March 21, a decision of the high court refusing interim protection from arrest to Kejriwal in the excise policy-linked money laundering case resulted in his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, India's federal agency which probes white-collar crimes.

What followed until his release in September was a flurry of cases and counter cases -- some by Kejriwal to avail his legal remedies whereas public-spirited persons filed cases against his decision to continue as the CM.

On April 9, the high court dismissed Kejriwal's plea against his arrest by ED, and on June 25, stayed a trial court order granting bail to him in the case. On August 5, the high court upheld his arrest by the CBI in the excise policy-linked corruption case on June 26.

Bail pleas by Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh -- both named as accused in the excise policy case -- were junked by the high court in May and February, respectively.

Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar, held by police on a complaint of former Delhi women's commission chief and AAP leader Swati Maliwal, failed to get a relief from the high court in July.

On March 11, the high court denied relief to another AAP politician, MLA Amanatullah Khan, dismissing his anticipatory bail plea in a money laundering case in a case of alleged irregularities in the Waqf board.

But there were some wins too. On June 5 the high court ruled AAP was entitled to accommodation for its party office like other national parties and asked the Centre to allot a bungalow in a time-bound manner.

BRS leader K Kavitha wasn't so lucky as the high court denied her bail in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged excise policy scam on July 1.

A bench headed by former acting Chief Justice Manmohan dismissed PILs on the issue of Kejriwal holding the CM's post following his arrest but said the AAP leader's "personal decision" to continue should not result in violation of fundamental rights of students who were awaiting supply of books in municipal schools.

Justice Manmohan took oath as Delhi high court's chief justice on September 29 and was later appointed a Supreme Court judge on December 16.

Litigating in the high court was not restricted to AAP politicians alone. BJP leaders, including opposition leader Vijender Gupta, jumped into the fray, so to speak, in October, and sought directions to table CAG reports over liquor duty, pollution and finance by the Delhi government before the state assembly.

Following the petition, 14 reports were sent for the approval of the Lieutenant Governor by the finance minister in December. The opposition MLAs filed a second plea seeking a direction to the Delhi government and its finance minister to forward the reports to the assembly speaker for necessary action. The plea is pending.

Another BJP MLA Jitendra Mahajan moved high court seeking the repair and reopening of a flyover -- shut for a couple of years -- near Nathu Colony Chowk in the national capital.

In a bid to augment healthcare, the high court tasked the AIIMS director to overhaul the critical care facilities in state-run hospitals and often disapproved the "bitter" fights between the Delhi health minister and the secretary while calling for a more collaborative approach.

The freebie culture by the politicians was frowned upon by the high court, which said in the absence of any revenue generation, authorities were not undertaking development work.

Aside from politicians, the high court dealt with other issues.

Following the drowning deaths of three civil services aspirants at the basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar in July, the high court transferred the probe from Delhi Police to the CBI. It said Delhi's "outdated" administrative, financial and physical infrastructure needed to be revaluated.

Taking student politicians to task, it pulled up Delhi University Student Union candidates over the defacing of public and private property during campaigns and ordered declaration of results once the mess was cleaned up.

On March 22, the high court said there were “some contradictions” in the decision acquitting former telecom minister A Raja and 16 others while admitting CBI’s appeal, six years after the trial court's verdict in the 2G case.

Student activist Sharjeel Imam was granted bail by the high court in a sedition case connected to the 2020 riots.

In a landmark verdict passed on July 9, it upheld the Food Safety and Standard Authority's decision to enhance the size of the statutory warnings against injury to health on pan masala packets to the extent of 50 per cent of the front label from a previous 3mm size.

On April 16, it also upheld the Centre's decision to dissolve the Maulana Azad Education Foundation, set up in 1989 for promoting education among educationally backward minorities.

Besides the elevation of Justice Manmohan to the top court, high court judges Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice Suresh Kumar Kait were appointed as the chief justices of high courts of Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, respectively, in September.

The high court went into the new year with 35 judges, against a sanctioned strength of 60, including 15 additional judges.

Come 2025, the high court is lined up with crucial hearings. Some espouse the argument of personal liberty in cases of Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima -- accused in the terror case connected to the riots.

A plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's to decide over Rahul Gandhi's Indian citizenship would come up in January, next year.

Kejriwal and Sisodia would return to the high court to pursue their challenge against a trial court order which took cognisance of a chargesheet against them in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.