The Supreme Court's vacation bench on Tuesday declined an urgent hearing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea for a seven-day extension of his interim bail on medical grounds. The bench suggested that the Chief Justice of India should decide on listing the plea.
Kejriwal, currently in Tihar Jail following his arrest in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, is required to surrender on June 2. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued for the urgent extension, citing medical reasons. However, the bench, consisting of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, stated that it would be more appropriate for the Chief Justice to make a decision, given that the main judgment has been reserved.
The court questioned why the plea was not mentioned for urgent listing the previous week when Justice Dipankar Datta, part of the main bench that granted Kejriwal interim bail, was available on the vacation bench. On May 10, the Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal a 21-day interim bail to allow him to campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During this period, Kejriwal was barred from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat and from signing official files, except when necessary to obtain the lieutenant governor's approval.
Kejriwal's plea highlighted the need for medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, due to his sudden and unexplained weight loss and high ketone levels, which could indicate serious health issues such as kidney or cardiac ailments or even cancer.
The case involves allegations of corruption and money laundering in the implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22. As Kejriwal seeks medical attention, the court's decision on the bail extension now awaits the Chief Justice’s consideration.
