The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied an urgent hearing for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea to extend his interim bail for seven days on medical grounds in the Delhi excise policy case. A vacation bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan stated that the Chief Justice of India should decide on the listing of Kejriwal’s application.
The bench deemed it appropriate for the Chief Justice of India to make the call on the application for the extension of bail, given that the judgment on the case has already been reserved. On May 17, the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Previously, on May 10, the apex court had granted Kejriwal interim bail until June 1 to campaign for the Lok Sabha election, with a surrender date of June 2.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, mentioned the application for an urgent hearing. However, the bench responded, “This is a heard and reserved matter. We cannot do anything. Place before CJI for appropriate orders.”
In his fresh application, Singhvi requested “only a 7-day extension. This is just a medical extension and not an abuse of liberty.” The bench inquired why the application had not been mentioned before Justice Dipankar Datta, who was heading a vacation bench last week. Singhvi explained that the medical prescription had been given only the day before yesterday, preventing earlier action.
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta had previously heard the main case and granted interim bail to Kejriwal. In his application seeking a one-week extension, Kejriwal stated he needs to undergo diagnostic tests, including a PET-CT Scan. The application indicated that recent medical tests revealed elevated blood glucose and ketone levels, suggesting potential kidney-related complications.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22.