NEW DELHI: A Delhi High Court bench on Friday said it was awaiting consent of senior advocates who will represent AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Durgesh Pathak in the excise case. The same bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had earlier said that the court would appoint three senior counsels as amici curiae to represent the three leaders who have boycotted the court proceedings.
The judge said she would pass the order on the appointment of counsels on Monday and start further proceedings. “There are three persons who are not represented. I am awaiting the consent of some persons who will be representing them. I will appoint on Monday. Arguments will begin on Tuesday,” the judge said.
The judge had passed the order to appoint the amici curiae after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, asked if the court was making the appointment for Kejriwal and others who were unrepresented in the proceedings.
The three politicians boycotted the proceedings in the revision plea filed by the CBI before Justice Sharma after she dismissed their applications seeking her recusal in the case. They had written to Justice Sharma, stating that they would not appear before her personally or through a lawyer and would follow “Mahatma Gandhi’s path of Satyagraha”.
On February 27, the trial court had discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 others in the liquor policy case. On March 9, Justice Sharma stayed the trial court’s recommendation on the initiation of departmental action against the CBI’s investigating officer in the case.
HC to protect Tharoor from deepfakes
The Delhi High Court on Friday said it would pass an order protecting Shashi Tharoor’s personality rights after he alleged misuse of his image, voice and name through AI-generated deepfake videos. Tharoor said fake clips showed him praising Pakistan.