In a setback for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court registry refused to urgently list his plea seeking extension of his interim bail by seven days for undergoing certain medical tests. The Apex court said that the plea is not maintainable because Kejriwal was given the option to seek regular bail from the trial court.
A vacation bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan acknowledged the plea submitted by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the chief minister, the court stated that the decision to list the interim plea can be made by the CJI since the judgement in the main matter has been reserved.
In a press conference the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) informed that the Delhi CM has sought a 7-day extension of his interim bail on medical grounds as the doctor has prescribed some tests including PET-CT scan as unexplained weight loss of the CM combined with high ketone levels are signs that may indicate kidney issues, serious cardiac diseases, and even cancer.
Kejriwal in a fresh plea filed on May 26 said that he will surrender before the authorities on June 9 instead of June 2 (the date directed by court during his interim bail).
On May 10, the top court granted the chief minister a 21-day temporary bail so he could campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He had been arrested for money laundering related to a scandal involving the excise policy scam. The court ordered that Kejriwal must turn himself in on June 2, the day after the final phase of the seven-part election ends.