Supreme Court Refuses Urgent Hearing of Arvind Kejriwal's Plea Seeking 7-Day Extension of Interim Bail

The Supreme Court has declined an urgent hearing of Arvind Kejriwal's petition seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has requested an urgent listing in the Supreme Court for his plea seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail to undergo certain medical tests.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court vacation bench declined to grant an urgent hearing for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail on medical grounds. The vacation bench suggested that it would be suitable for the Chief Justice of India to decide on the listing of the plea.

Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in a money laundering case related to the now-abolished Delhi excise policy and incarcerated in Tihar Jail, is scheduled to surrender on June 2nd.

A vacation bench consisting of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan acknowledged the arguments presented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The bench stated that the decision regarding the listing of the interim plea could be made by the "Honourable CJI" since the judgment in the main matter has been reserved.

The bench inquired why Arvind Kejriwal's plea was not brought up for urgent listing last week when Justice Dipankar Datta, one of the judges from the main bench chaired by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who had granted interim bail to the chief minister, was presiding over the vacation bench.

On May 10, the Supreme Court granted Arvind Kejriwal interim bail for 21 days to facilitate his campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, it prohibited him from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat and signing official documents unless it was absolutely necessary and required approval from the lieutenant governor.

The petition stated that the chief minister needs to undergo several medical examinations, and therefore, the interim bail, which is set to expire on June 1, should be extended.

Arvind Kejriwal has requested an extension to undergo various medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, due to his "sudden and unexplained weight loss, along with high ketone levels." These symptoms could indicate kidney issues, severe cardiac conditions, or even cancer.

The case pertains to suspected corruption and money laundering in the development and implementation of the Delhi government's now-defunct excise policy for the year 2021-22.