Achi news desk-
GUWAHATI: The Delhi High Court is set to examine whether Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal adhered to the court-sanctioned diet regime while receiving home-cooked meals during his judicial custody, as he allegedly had mangoes only three times, the court said on Friday.
This development came up during the court’s hearing on a petition filed by Kejriwal seeking permission to administer insulin in jail and allow consultations with his doctors through video conferencing (VC). Kejriwal petitioned to consult his doctor daily through VC for 15 minutes to treat his acute diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels and further requested the presence of his wife during these consultations.
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The plea was filed before Special Judge Kaveri Baviya of Rosa Avenue Courts, with senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi representing Kejriwal. Singhvi challenged the latest finding by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that Kejriwal had deliberately consumed mangoes, sweets and sugar-laden tea in jail To artificially raise the sugar levels in his blood as an excuse to bail.
Singhvi denied these allegations, claiming that Kejriwal used sugar-free substitutes in his tea due to his diabetic condition. He further emphasized Kejriwal’s right to health, and denounced the perceived pettiness of the ED’s allegations.
Meanwhile, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, who is also representing Kejriwal, objected to ED’s involvement in the proceedings, arguing that the matter pertains only to the Prime Minister and the jail authorities.
Responding to these allegations, Zohab Hussain, the ED’s special counsel, argued that the allegations of bad faith made by Kejriwal in his application necessitated the agency’s involvement. Hussain highlighted the discrepancy between Kejriwal’s prescribed diet and the food items reportedly sent to him in prison, and made a potential correlation between these deviations and his rising sugar levels.
In response, counsel for Tihar Jail authorities argued that despite Kejriwal’s claims of consuming home-cooked meals, he did not strictly adhere to the diet plan approved by the court. Authorities stressed the importance of following dietary restrictions to keep Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels within safe parameters.
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Following the arguments, the court reserved its decision on Kejriwal’s request and ordered both the prison authorities and the Ministry of Justice to submit their responses by the next day. The court is scheduled to issue its verdict on Monday.
Kejriwal’s plea highlighted his concern about fluctuating blood sugar levels during his legal custody, attributing the issue to his acute diabetes. She criticized the ED’s accusations as an attempt to discredit it through media experiments, stressing that the consumption of fruit and sugar-free items was misrepresented to show an artificial rise in blood sugar levels.
