New Delhi, May 28 – The Supreme Court of India is set to deliberate on the urgent listing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking an extension of his interim bail by seven days for undergoing medical tests. The verdict in the main case has already been reserved, and the Chief Justice of India will take a decision on the matter, as per the court’s announcement on Tuesday.
A vacation bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan declined to list Kejriwal’s interim plea independently. They queried senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the chief minister, as to why it wasn’t mentioned earlier when Justice Dipankar Datta, one of the judges in the main bench that granted interim bail to Kejriwal, was sitting on the vacation bench last week.
Singhvi explained that the prescription for medical tests was received just a day before, making it impossible to mention it before the vacation bench last week, which included Justice Datta.
The bench decided to refer the matter to the Chief Justice of India, emphasizing the issue of propriety. They stated that since the bench of Justices Khanna and Datta, which granted interim bail to Kejriwal, has reserved the verdict on the main petition, it would be appropriate to place his time extension application before the CJI for appropriate orders.
On May 26, Kejriwal filed a plea seeking an extension of his interim bail by seven days to undergo a series of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, due to sudden weight loss and high ketone levels, indicating potential kidney, cardiac, or cancer-related issues.
The top court had earlier granted interim bail to Kejriwal on May 10 to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. However, Kejriwal’s plea highlights his health complications during his earlier incarceration and the need for medical attention before surrendering on June 9.
The plea emphasized the importance of early detection of potential ailments, stating that Kejriwal’s life is at high risk without the necessary tests.
Kejriwal’s release for campaigning earlier came with restrictions, barring him from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat, except when necessary for obtaining the lieutenant governor’s approval.
The matter revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering related to the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
