High Court’s Response to Repeated Requests to Remove Arvind Kejriwal as CM likened to ‘James Bond’

The court has made a firm ruling on a case involving petitioner Sandeep Kumar, a former AAP MLA seeking the removal of Kerjiwal from office. The court criticized the petitioner for attempting to involve the court in a political matter and issued a penalty of Rs 50,000. It emphasized that it cannot impose governor’s rule in the capital and expressed annoyance at the petitioner’s persistent efforts to bring the case to the court.

On March 28, the court had dismissed a PIL for Arvind Kejriwal’s removal and stated that it was not within the court’s jurisdiction. Similarly, on April 4, the court refused to entertain a second PIL on the issue and advised the petitioner to approach the lieutenant governor (LG). The court reprimanded the petitioner for filing a third petition on the same issue and emphasized that if there was a grievance, an appeal should have been filed against the earlier decisions.

The court was further exasperated by the petitioner’s lawyer’s continued political arguments and emphasized that the court does not involve itself in political matters. It warned the petitioner of the heavy costs imposed due to repeat litigation and urged them to show courtesy to the court and its proceedings. Mr. Kumar’s petition was listed before the acting chief justice’s bench after being transferred from Justice Subramonium Prasad’s court.

The court had earlier criticized the petition for being filed for “publicity” and suggested the imposition of heavy costs. The petition had argued that Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) rendered him incapable of carrying out the chief minister’s functions under the Constitution. The court also noted that the AAP leader’s arrest and unavailability complicated the constitutional mechanism, preventing him from functioning as the chief minister from prison.