The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition seeking deregistration of the Aam Aadmi Party over allegations linked to the conduct of Arvind Kejriwal
May 20, 2026: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking deregistration of the Aam Aadmi Party over allegations concerning the conduct of party leaders during proceedings in the excise policy case. A bench headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya observed that the grounds raised by petitioner Satish Aggarwal were “far-fetched”, “misconceived” and legally unsustainable. The plea alleged that party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, had acted contrary to constitutional principles during proceedings before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
The court clarified that the Election Commission of India can deregister a political party only under limited circumstances, such as fraud during registration or violation of specific provisions under the Representation of the People Act. The bench said there is no provision allowing deregistration merely on allegations that a party or its members failed to uphold constitutional values. It added that if any conduct was found to undermine the dignity of the court, remedies were already available under the Contempt of Court Act.
The controversy stems from proceedings linked to the excise policy case after a trial court discharged Kejriwal and other AAP leaders, prompting the Central Bureau of Investigation to challenge the order before the high court. Tensions escalated after repeated requests seeking recusal of Justice Sharma and later boycott announcements by Kejriwal, Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak. Justice Sharma subsequently initiated contempt proceedings before withdrawing from hearing the matter. Separate benches of the high court are now hearing the contempt petition and the CBI’s appeal.