A vacation bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday denied an urgent hearing for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking an extension of his interim bail in the LiquorGate scandal on medical grounds. The bench, comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, noted that the case had already been deliberated upon, with the verdict currently reserved. The decision on the listing of the interim plea will be determined by the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued for a seven-day extension of interim bail, citing the need for the chief minister to undergo several medical tests, including a PET-CT scan. Kejriwal has experienced sudden and unexplained weight loss and high ketone levels, which could indicate severe health issues such as kidney disease, serious cardiac ailments, or cancer.
The bench questioned why Kejriwal’s plea was not mentioned for urgent listing the previous week when Justice Dipankar Datta, a member of the main bench that granted Kejriwal interim bail, was sitting on the vacation bench. The bench emphasized that any decision regarding the listing of the plea should be made by the CJI.
Kejriwal’s fresh plea, filed on May 26, requested that he be allowed to surrender before jail authorities on June 9 instead of the previously scheduled June 2. The Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal a 21-day interim bail on May 10, allowing him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. The interim bail was initially set to expire on June 2, one day after the conclusion of the final phase of the seven-phase election.
The LiquorGate scandal involves allegations of corruption and money laundering related to the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. Kejriwal was arrested in connection with this case, which has garnered significant public and media attention.
