Arvind Kejriwal Eating Mangoes & Sweets In Jail To Increase Sugar Level, Wants To Create Ground For Bail: ED To Delhi Court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday told a Delhi Court that while Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is claiming that his sugar levels are high, he is having mangoes, sweets and tea with sugar in jail.

Zoheb Hossain, special counsel for ED, told Special Judge Kaveri Baweja that Kejriwal wants to create increase in the sugar levels as a ground for bail in the money laundering case.

The court was hearing Kejriwal's application seeking permission to consult his regular doctor in jail through virtual conferencing. He said his blood sugar levels are fluctuating and thus, he wants to consult his regular doctor.

At the outset, Advocate Vivek Jain appearing for Kejriwal told court that the application is being withdrawn to file a better application.

However, Zoheb said that the ED was concerned about the expression “alarming increase in diabetic levels” used in the application.

“We wrote to the jail authorities and asked them what is the diet chart and medicines he is taking…. When he was allowed on April 01 home cooked food… please see. He is claiming high diabetes but he is having mangoes, sweets and tea with sugar…. This is a basis to create a ground for bail,” Zoheb said.

The submission was opposed by Jain who sais that Hossain was playing by the gallery and was making submissions for the media.

While the court disposed of the application, it listed the matter for tomorrow and asked the Tihar jail authorities to file a medical report on Kejriwal, including his diet.

The matter will be heard tomorrow at 2 PM.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the night of March 21. His judicial custody is expiring on April 23.

On April 10, the Delhi High Court dismissed Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest, observing that ED was able to place enough material, statements of approvers and AAP's own candidate stating that Kejriwal was given money for Goa elections.

The Delhi Chief Minister has challenged the said order of the Delhi High Court bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma before the Top Court. The Supreme Court has issues notice on the plea but refused to grant any interim relief.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are also accused in the case. While Sisodia continues to remain in jail, Singh was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court pursuant to a concession given by the ED.

ED has alleged that Arvind Kejriwal is the "kingpin" of Delhi excise scam and is directly involved in the use of proceeds of crime accounting to over Rs. 100 crores.

It is ED's case that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12 percent to certain private companies, although such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of Group of Ministers (GoM).

The Central agency has also claimed that there was a conspiracy that was coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margins to wholesalers.

Nair was acting on behalf of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, according to the agency.