Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, had requested a one-week extension of his interim bail so that he could undergo medical tests. However, the Supreme Court registry declined to list his plea, stating that it was not maintainable because the court had already permitted him to request regular bail from the trial court, and had reserved its decision on his petition challenging his arrest on May 17.
Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy case, Kejriwal was granted interim bail until June 1 for election campaigning, with a directive to surrender on June 2. A vacation bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and K V Viswanathan decided to refer Kejriwal’s request for an urgent hearing to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
The bench questioned why the urgent hearing request had not been brought up earlier before Justice Dipankar Datta, who was available until May 24, after senior attorney A M Singhvi raised it. Singhvi clarified that the prescription drugs were just recently acquired.
Judge Maheshwari pointed out that when orders are reserved, usually no further action is done. Consequently, the bench resolved to forward the case to the Chief Justice, with Singhvi emphasizing that Kejriwal’s arrest was covered by the reserved judgment rather than his medical requirements.
Kejriwal pleaded to be allowed to surrender until June 9 in light of his dramatic weight loss and possible health problems. Recent testing revealed elevated amounts of ketones and glucose, which may signal renal problems. It would take five to seven days to complete the prescribed tests, which included a Holter Monitor Test and a whole body PET-CT scan. Kejriwal suggested finishing these exams between June 3 and June 7, with a June 9 deadline for capitulation, emphasizing their necessity.
