SC Registry Denies Urgent Listing of Arvind Kejriwal’s Plea for Bail Extension

The Supreme Court registry on Wednesday declined urgent listing of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s plea for extending his interim bail by seven days to undergo specific medical tests.

Registry Rejects Application

The apex court registry rejected the application, citing that since Kejriwal had been granted liberty to approach the trial court for regular bail, the plea was not maintainable.

On Tuesday, a vacation bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan acknowledged the arguments put forth by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the chief minister. They stated that the decision on listing the interim plea could be made by the CJI, given that judgment had been reserved in the main matter.

Kejriwal’s Medical Concerns

The Delhi chief minister had requested an extension of his interim bail by seven days to undergo various medical tests, including a PET-CT scan.

This was prompted by his “sudden and unexplained weight loss coupled with high ketone levels”, indicating potential kidney issues, serious cardiac ailments, or even cancer.

In his fresh plea filed on May 26, the chief minister stated his intention to surrender before jail authorities on June 9 instead of the previously scheduled date of June 2.

Interim Bail Granted

The Top Court had granted a 21-day interim bail to the chief minister on May 10 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy ‘scam’, allowing him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. The court had directed Kejriwal to surrender on June 2, a day after the conclusion of the last phase of the seven-phase poll.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.

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