On Friday (April 19), a Delhi Court announced that it will investigate whether Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal adhered to the Court-approved diet plan while accepting home-cooked meals during his time in judicial custody.
The Court made this statement while reserving its decision on an application filed by Kejriwal, in which he requested permission to receive insulin in jail and consult with his doctors through video conferencing (VC). Kejriwal sought daily 15-minute consultations with his doctor via VC to address his acute diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels. Additionally, he requested that his wife be allowed to join and be present during these consultations.
Kejriwal’s representative argued that mangoes were only included in his home-cooked meals three times out of a total of 48 meals during his custody.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, while objecting to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) allegation that Kejriwal intentionally consumed mangoes, sweets, and tea with sugar in jail to raise his sugar levels, made the submission. The ED had claimed that the Chief Minister was doing so in order to create grounds for bail.
Singhvi informed Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Courts that the ED had portrayed mangoes as “sugar bullets” and that Kejriwal had only received “aaloo poori” once as Navratri prasad (offering) in jail.
“They accused me of using sugar in my tea. I use sugar-free in my tea because I am diabetic… It is astonishing how trivial, political, and absurd the ED can be,” Singhvi stated.
Singhvi emphasized that despite being a prisoner, Kejriwal still has the right to health care. He questioned whether Kejriwal is a dangerous criminal to not even have 15 minutes of video conferencing with his doctor. He further stated that in the 75 years of democracy, he has never witnessed such pettiness.
Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta, representing Kejriwal, objected to the presence of the ED, stating that the central probe agency has no jurisdiction in the matter between the Chief Minister and the jail authorities. Gupta questioned why the ED was involved and criticized their actions, highlighting the media attention and the unusual appearance of a special counsel for the jail authorities.
Zoheb Hossain, the special counsel for the ED, argued that since Kejriwal had made allegations of mala fide intentions in his application, the central probe agency had to be involved. He mentioned that the prescribed diet for Kejriwal did not include any sweet or fruit items, emphasizing that it was a strictly regulated diet.
Hossain stated that there is a direct correlation between his submission and the alarming increase in his sugar level. The representative for Tihar jail authorities informed the court that Kejriwal had previously been taking insulin but had stopped taking it recently.
In general, his blood sugar levels have been maintained. However, despite claiming to receive home-cooked food, it has been pointed out by the special counsel for ED that the prescribed diet does not include fruits. Kejriwal is not adhering to the recommended diet in the food sent from his home, the counsel explained.
Furthermore, it is important to note that there are certain foods, such as mangoes, that he should avoid. He should strictly follow this diet plan in order to maintain his sugar levels. If he starts taking insulin now, his sugar levels will drop significantly. Although there have been some instances of an increase in sugar levels, overall it has been well-maintained. Please refer to the AIIMS report for more information. The food that should be avoided includes mangoes, bananas, and chikus. The home-cooked food should adhere to the diet prescribed by AIIMS.
The court then asked Singhvi if the home-cooked food sent to Kejriwal followed the diet chart approved by the court on April 01. Singhvi mentioned that the diet chart was mostly followed, with the exception of three instances of mangoes and one instance of aloo poori being sent as prasad.
The court orally remarked that there were indeed deviations from the court’s orders. The focus at the moment is solely on the compliance with the court’s orders.
The counsel for jail authorities assured the court that Kejriwal is being monitored in jail and is not facing any difficulties. He emphasized that medical facilities are provided to him.
Gupta raised an objection during this stage, claiming that the jail authorities sent an email to the ED regarding Kejriwal’s food without a court order. He argued that the jail authorities were not allowed to share information about Kejriwal’s diet with the ED without a court order.
After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its order on Kejriwal’s application and instructed the jail authorities and ED to submit their replies by tomorrow. The final decision will be announced on Monday.
The Chief Minister stated that his blood sugar levels have been fluctuating rapidly since his judicial custody due to severe diabetes, which poses a significant risk to his health.
According to the application, the jail authorities, in collaboration with the ED, attempted to conduct a media trial by falsely claiming that Kejriwal’s sugar levels were rising because of his diet in jail. It further mentioned that the ED made an issue out of a small portion of fruit (mango) that was sent to Kejriwal three times out of the 48 meals he received.
The plea stated, “The ED has falsely accused the Jail Authorities of consuming sweets to raise sugar levels, despite knowing that the item was sugar-free. The ED has also made a completely false statement that the applicant is consuming tea with sugar to spike his sugar levels.”
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the night of March 21 and his judicial custody is set to expire on April 23.
On April 10, the Delhi High Court dismissed Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, stating that the ED had presented enough evidence, including statements from witnesses and AAP’s own candidate, indicating that Kejriwal had received money for the Goa elections.
The Chief Minister of Delhi has contested the aforementioned ruling of the Delhi High Court bench led by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in front of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has acknowledged the plea but declined to provide any temporary relief.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are implicated in the case as well. While Sisodia remains incarcerated, Singh was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court following a concession made by the ED.
The ED has accused Arvind Kejriwal of being the mastermind behind the Delhi excise scam and directly participating in the utilization of crime proceeds amounting to over Rs. 100 crores.
According to the ED, the excise policy was executed as part of a scheme to provide certain private companies with a 12 percent profit margin in wholesale business, even though such a provision was not documented in the minutes of the GoM meetings.
The Central agency has also alleged that there was a conspiracy orchestrated by Vijay Nair and other individuals in collaboration with the South Group to offer wholesalers unusually high profit margins.
Nair was purportedly acting on behalf of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, as per the agency’s claims.