In partial relief to Kejriwal, court allows wife to independently consult doctors examining him

“…Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, permit the presence of a family member as an attendant…only when the prisoner is admitted in a hospital,” the Judge underlined, adding that there was “no reason to carve out an exception” for the Chief Minister.

Kejriwal’s counsel had earlier highlighted that his fluctuating sugar levels and increased ketone levels could be indicative of “diabetic ketoacidosis”, a complication that could be fatal.

Earlier in April, the court directed the constitution of a medical board of doctors from the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to provide specialised consultation for the Chief Minister’s treatment and to prescribe him a diet and exercise plan. On June 5, a few days after Kejriwal surrendered in jail after the expiration of his interim bail, the board was revived by the court.

In the application moved by Kejriwal, the court was requested to allow his wife to be an attendant so that she was aware of the treatment being administered to him and to ensure that the medically prescribed diet was provided to him. She sends home-cooked food for the Chief Minster in jail.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in the case. He was granted interim bail until June 1 by the Supreme Court for election campaigning after which he surrendered before Tihar Jail. In June, the Chief Minister was also arrested by the CBI, which is investigating the corruption case related to the now-scrapped excise policy. He is currently in judicial custody in both the CBI and ED cases.

The ED had earlier alleged that Kejriwal was “directly involved in the formulation” of the excise policy, which was drafted “considering the favours to be granted to the “South Group” — a group of individuals from the southern part of India.

The “South Group”, the ED claims, “secured uninhibited access, undue favours, attained stakes in established wholesale businesses, and multiple retail zones (over and above what was allowed in the policy)”, and paid Rs 100 crore to AAP leaders in return. The agency also alleged that bribes received from the “South Group” were funnelled into the AAP’s Goa state poll campaign in 2021-2022.