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The Supreme Court of India has denied an urgent hearing for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea to extend his interim bail by seven days on medical grounds. The vacation bench, comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, stated that the decision to list the interim plea should be made by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) as the judgment in the main matter has been reserved.
Kejriwal, who was arrested in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and is scheduled to surrender on June 2. His plea for an extension of interim bail was based on medical grounds, including sudden and unexplained weight loss, high ketone levels, and the need to undergo various medical tests, such as a PET-CT scan, to rule out serious health conditions like kidney ailments, cardiac issues, and even cancer.
The vacation bench took note of the submissions made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, but declined to grant an urgent hearing. The bench questioned why the plea was not mentioned for urgent listing last week when Justice Dipankar Datta, one of the judges of the main bench that granted the interim bail to Kejriwal, was sitting on the vacation bench. The bench further observed that the main matter is sub judice and the decision on the listing of the interim plea should be made by the CJI.
Kejriwal's interim bail was originally granted by the Supreme Court on May 10 for a period of 21 days to enable him to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, he was barred from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat and signing official files unless absolutely necessary with the prior approval of the lieutenant governor.
The underlying matter pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22. The case is currently under investigation.