The Supreme Court vacation bench on Tuesday refused an urgent hearing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea to extend his interim bail by seven days on medical grounds. The bench suggested that the Chief Justice of India should decide on listing the plea.
Kejriwal, arrested in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, is due to surrender on June 2. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, emphasized the need for an extension due to the chief minister’s required medical tests.
The vacation bench, comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, noted that the plea was not mentioned for urgent listing the previous week when Justice Dipankar Datta, part of the main bench, was present on the vacation bench.
Previously, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal 21 days of interim bail on May 10 to campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, restricting him from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat unless necessary.
Kejriwal’s plea cited urgent medical needs, including a PET-CT scan, due to sudden and unexplained weight loss and high ketone levels, indicating possible severe health issues.
The case involves alleged corruption and money laundering in the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22.
