A Delhi court informed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday that it cannot oppose Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal’s requests regarding his medical examination in Tihar jail, where he is currently in judicial custody in the Delhi excise policy case.
Vacation Judge Mukesh Kumar instructed the Jail Superintendent of Tihar Jail to respond to Kejriwal’s application requesting permission for his wife to participate in his medical examination via video conferencing.
The CM also requested to provide his inputs regarding his health condition to the medical board.
When the ED counsel Zoheb Hossain sought time from the Court to respond to the CM’s application, the Court stated, “The accused is in judicial custody, not ED (custody). If he wants any relief, you have no role in this.”
Hossain insisted that the Court seeks a report from the jail to address any issues concerning access to video conferencing for Kejriwal’s wife.
However, the Court reiterated that the ED has no role in the matters related to his medical examination.
“We will seek a reply from the jail, but you have no role in this,” remarked the Court.
Hossain argued that previously there were concerns about Kejriwal’s diet in jail, necessitating the formation of a medical board.
“Until now, this request had not been made by them. So, it won’t be detrimental if we are allowed to file a brief reply. We are a significantly interested party due to the provisions of Section 45 PMLA,” submitted Hossain, referring to the strict bail conditions in money laundering cases.
The Court then called for a report from the jail authorities on Kejriwal’s application, which will be revisited on Saturday.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 on allegations related to his involvement in a conspiracy to exploit loopholes in the now-repealed Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22, benefiting certain liquor sellers.
The ED has claimed that kickbacks from liquor sellers were used to finance the electoral campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa, and Kejriwal, as the National Convenor of the party, is held personally and vicariously responsible for money laundering.
Other AAP leaders arrested in the same case include former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh (currently out on bail).
In May, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal to allow him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. He returned to jail on June 2 after the interim bail period granted by the top court expired.
He also filed an application for interim bail for seven days on medical grounds, which was denied by the trial court on June 5.
His request for regular bail will be heard on June 19.
