CM Kejriwal seeks urgent hearing in SC on application seeking 7-day extension of interim bail
New Delhi, May 28 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sought an urgent hearing on his application filed before the Supreme Court seeking a seven-day extension of interim bail to undergo medical examinations, including a PET-CT scan. Appearing for CM Kejriwal, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi requested a Vacation Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan to direct urgent listing of the application. “There is urgency because the 20-day interim bail window is expiring and I need to go for medical tests. It is not an abuse because I am asking for seven days only,” submitted Singhvi. At this, Justice Maheshwari said that another Bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on May 17 had reserved its verdict in the matter and considering the propriety, it would be appropriate to refer the application to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud who is the master of the roster. “We will refer your mentioning to the Hon’ble Chief Justice. The Chief Justice should take a decision,” said the Justice Maheshwari-led Bench, ordering the application to be placed before CJI Chandrachud for “appropriate orders”. The top court had ordered the release of CM Kejriwal on interim bail in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam case till June 1 and directed him to surrender on June 2. As per the AAP, CM Kejriwal’s health has deteriorated since he was arrested in the alleged Delhi excise scam. The party has said that he has lost seven kg in weight after his arrest and his Ketone levels are also very high indicating a serious medical disorder. The party has further said that the CM was required to get medical tests and seven days were needed for this. The Supreme Court on May 17 had reserved its verdict on CM Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest and subsequent remand by the federal anti-money laundering agency in the excise policy case. It said he could approach the trial court for a grant of regular bail notwithstanding the fact that the apex court reserved judgment in the matter. During the hearing, a Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said that it’s “very clear” order had fixed the timeline of CM Kejriwal’s “release and surrender” and was not making any exception to anybody. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week moved an application before a Delhi court seeking a 14-day extension of judicial custody of the AAP supremo upon the expiry of the SC interim bail order on June 2. —
