In a setback to Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow an urgent hearing of the Delhi Chief Minister's plea for the extension of his interim bail plea by seven days on medical grounds. The vacation bench of the top court said the Chief Justice of India (CJI) will take an appropriate decision on listing of CM Kejriwal's plea for extension of interim bail as the verdict is reserved in the main case.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had mentioned Kejriwal's plea for the urgent hearing before the apex court. The bench also asked Singhvi why Kejriwal's plea was not mentioned when Justice Datta, judge of the main bench, was sitting last week.
What did Kejriwal state in his plea?
Earlier on Monday, the Delhi Chief Minister sought an extension of his interim bail by seven days from the Supreme Court to undergo a host of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan in view of his "sudden and unexplained weight loss, coupled with high ketone levels. In his bail plea, Kejriwal said he will surrender back to jail on June 9, instead of June 2, the scheduled date for his return to prison.
Kejriwal was released on interim bail
After being released from jail on May 10, Kejriwal has been involved in campaigning for the I.N.D.I.A bloc for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The bail is applicable till June 1 and the Delhi CM has to surrender to authorities on June 2. He has been allowed to participate in the poll campaigning but can not attend his office as Chief Minister. Imposing certain conditions while granting Kejriwal interim bail, the apex court said he would not interact with any of the witnesses or have access to any official files connected with the case.
(With inputs from agencies)
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