On Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s vacation bench declined to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s request for a seven-day extension of his interim bail due to medical concerns. The bench advised that the decision to list the plea be left to the Chief Justice of India.
Kejriwal’s case, represented by senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, was considered by a vacation bench consisting of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan. They suggested that the Chief Justice, given the reserved verdict in the main case, make the decision on the listing. The court also questioned why the request was not raised for urgent listing last week, when Justice Dipankar Datta, a judge from the main bench who granted temporary relief, was sitting on the vacation bench.
On May 10, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal an interim bail of 21 days to campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. However, the bond was conditional, preventing him from entering his office or signing official documents without the lieutenant governor’s permission.
Kejriwal’s request emphasized the importance of medical tests, particularly a PET-CT scan, due to abrupt weight loss and abnormal ketone levels, which could indicate kidney, heart, or cancer issues. The issue involves alleged corruption and money laundering in the creation and implementation of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22.
