Delhi court rejects plea by Arvind Kejriwal for daily consultation with personal doctor via VC

A Delhi court on Monday rejected the plea by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking directions to Tihar Jail authorities to allow Kejriwal to consult his doctor for 15 minutes daily through video conference..The order was passed on a plea by Kejriwal which, besides seeking directions for daily consultation with his doctor, also sought administration of insulin. However, Special Judge (PC) Act Kaveri Baweja who passed the order directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi to constitute a medical board which shall take a call on whether Kejriwal needs to be administered insulin or not.The Court said that Kejriwal be provided required medical treatment but in case of any specialised treatment, the jail authorities shall do so based on the advise of a medical board constituted by the Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).Judge Baweja asked the medical board to prescribe a diet and exercise plan for the Delhi Chief Minister as well. "The said Medical Board is further requested to prescribe a diet and exercise plan, if required, for the Applicant considering his medical requirements and relevant data regarding his vital statistics. The Medical Board may, as and when, required, also physically examine the Applicant in Jail," the Court said. Regarding the contentious issue of whether Kejriwal's home cooked meals were in violation of the diet prescribed by jail authorities, the Court said that the Delhi CM can be allowed such home cooked meals provided it is in compliance with the diet prescribed by the AIIMS medical board. "The Applicant shall however, continue to be provided with home cooked food, subject to the condition that it shall strictly be in compliance with the diet as prescribed by the above mentioned Medical Board. Till the time such Board prescribes a diet plan for the Applicant, his family may provide home cooked food to him, though it shall be strictly as per diet chart of his private doctor and as permitted vide order dated 01.04.2024."The Court stressed that there shall be no deviation from the diet chart prepared by the AIIMS board and if such a deviation occurs, the same shall be brought to the notice of the Court immediately. "Jail Authorities shall also send medical report of the Applicant, to this court regularly on a fortnightly basis, till further orders," the order said. .The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the plea arguing that Kejriwal was deliberately eating mangoes, sweets and other food items in his home cooked meals to spike his sugar level and then use that as a ground for bail.It was the central agency’s case that the home cooked meals that the Delhi Chief Minister was having in jail after the Court had allowed the same by an order of April 1, was different from the one prescribed by doctors.ED’s Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain had suggested Kejriwal should be examined by AIIMS doctors..ED being petty, political: Arvind Kejriwal argues for Insulin in jail.Advocate Yoginder Handoo, appearing for Tihar Jail, had contended that AIIMS’ opinion was sought on the matter and the doctors said that diabetic patients should not eat mangoes.Handoo argued that Kejriwal’s sugar level is stable and there is no need for insulin..Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Kejriwal and refuted the allegations made by the ED and the Tihar Jail.Singhvi said that out of the 48 meals sent from home to Kejriwal, only three had mangoes and he ate aloo puri once because of Navratri.The Senior Advocate said that minor deviations in the diet cannot be used as a ground to oppose his application for insulin.He further stated that the ED was being “petty, political and ridiculous” by contesting the plea and that Kejriwal has been receiving insulin for the last 12 years.“I am an undertrial prisoner. I have a right to a dignified life and health. We have had democracy for 75 years but I am seeing such pettiness from an investigating agency for the first time,” Singhvi stated.He added,“I only use sugar free in my tea. How petty, political, and ridiculous ED can be? Their statements are completely false and malicious. Just because you have a lot of influence in the media you are able to publish that I am having aaloo (potato)-puri, even though this meal was sent only once during Navratri.”.Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.