

NEW DELHI: Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi HC on Tuesday recused herself from hearing Congress MP Karti Chidambaram’s plea seeking to quash a Central Bureau of Investigation FIR against him over alleged irregularities linked to duty-free whisky sales.
When the matter was taken up, Justice Sharma directed the registry to list the case before another bench, stating, “This will have to go. List before another bench.” The matter is likely to be heard next on July 21.
The judge also said that a connected plea filed by Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited (ASCPL), described as an entity controlled by Karti and his aide S Bhaskararaman, would be listed before a different bench. ASCPL is also an accused in the case.
Karti has sought quashing of the FIR, alleging “gross delay” in its registration on January 1, 2025, and claiming it was driven by “political vendetta”.