Excise Policy Case: Court seeks Tihar's response on Kejriwal's application, adjourns bail plea hearing

The judge, meanwhile, fixed for Saturday an application filed by Kejriwal seeking directions to allow his wife to join through video conference the proceedings of the medical board constituted to determine Kejriwal's health condition and treatment.

New Delhi: A court here on Friday sought Tihar jail's response on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's application seeking to allow his wife to join a medical board constituted to determine his health condition and treatment.

Additional Sessions Judge Mukesh Kumar directed the authorities concerned to file their reply in the matter by Saturday.

Kejriwal is lodged in Tihar jail after being arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

The judge, meanwhile, fixed for June 19 another plea of Kejriwal seeking regular bail in the case. The matter was adjourned after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought time to file a reply in the matter.

The Delhi chief minister has filed a fresh application seeking his wife to be permitted to join the medical board through video conference.

"Application has been moved by the accused seeking directions to allow his wife to join the medical board. Before passing any order, I deem it appropriate to call for a reply from the jail superintendent concerned. The application be kept for tomorrow," the judge said.

During the proceedings, ED sought 10 days to file a reply to the bail application and requested the court to adjourn the matter till June 25.

The judge, however, said he would consider the accused's convenience for the next date of hearing, not the probe agency's.

"The accused is in judicial custody (JC), and not in your (ED's) custody. If he wants some convenience, you do not have any role in that. You have no role to play... He is in JC. I will consider his convenience, not yours," the judge said.

The court on June 5 dismissed Kejriwal's application seeking interim bail in the case on medical grounds. The judge, however, had directed the Tihar jail authorities to take care of Kejriwal's medical needs while in judicial custody. He had also extended Kejriwal's judicial custody till June 19.

"Since the health concerns of the accused must be addressed immediately, the Medical Board of AIIMS, which was directed to be constituted vide order dated April 22, 2024, of this court, is hereby directed to be revived and/or re-constituted, if deemed fit by the Director, AIIMS, New Delhi, having regard to the nature of ailments the applicant is stated to be suffering from," the judge had said.

The medical board shall, besides complying with the earlier order dated April 22, also examine the applicant and prescribe such diagnostic tests as deemed appropriate within three days, he had said.

"The jail authorities shall ensure that the prescribed recommended tests/evaluations of the applicant are conducted without any delay. Upon receipt of the test reports, the medical board shall prescribe the further necessary treatment as may be required and the jail authorities shall ensure that the treatment so prescribed by the medical board is provided to the applicant forthwith under intimation to this court," the judge had said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener surrendered at Tihar jail on June 2 as the tenure of his interim bail granted by the Supreme Court expired.

The top court had on May 10 granted 21-day interim bail to the chief minister, allowing him to campaign during the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed him to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll was over.