IANS | 19 Apr, 2024
Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, on Friday accused the ED of
misrepresenting the diet chart prepared by his doctor, and opposed the
agency’s allegations of deliberately increasing sugar levels, saying
that he cannot risk “paralysis" just to get bail.
Special Judge
Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court reserved her verdict for Monday on
CM Kejriwal’s application seeking consultation with a doctor for April
22, and directed Tihar Jail to file any reply, if required, by Saturday.
“The
ED claimed that I want to increase my blood sugar levels to get bail.
Am I going to risk paralysis to get bail? Whatever food I had was as per
the diet chart prepared by the doctor prior to arrest,” Senior Advocate
Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for CM Kejriwal, said.
The AAP argued that the ED is being “petty” and “politicising” his food.
On
Thursday, the probe agency had alleged that CM Kejriwal was
deliberately eating mangoes and other high-carb food in Tihar Jail to
raise his blood sugar levels to build a case for bail.
The Delhi Chief Minister is in judicial custody till April 23 for his alleged involvement in the excise policy case.
The
ED has alleged that CM Kejriwal is consciously consuming items like tea
with sugar, banana, sweets (1/2 pieces), poori, aloo sabji, etc. on a
regular basis, despite being a Type 2 diabetes patient, “knowing very
well that consumption of such items results in an increase in sugar
levels.”
The agency also said that this is being done to create a
medical emergency “to obtain sympathetic treatment from the court on
medical grounds."
CM Kejriwal on Friday moved a fresh application
seeking direction to jail authorities to administer insulin and allow
him to consult with doctors through video conferencing daily for 15
minutes for his acute diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels.
CM Kejriwal’s counsel said that his client had mangoes thrice and aloo puri only once.
“The
allegation is that I have been consuming mangoes... Out of 48 meals
sent from home, only three times mangoes were there… No mangoes have
been sent after April 8. The mangoes have been made to look like sugar
bullets. Their sugar level is much less than brown rice or white rice,”
Singhvi told the court.
“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 aloo puri even
though this meal was sent once during pooja,” he told the court.
Singhvi
further argued, “Am I a gangster that I cannot even be allowed to have
15 minutes VC consultation with my doctor? We have had democracy for 75
years but I am seeing such an approach for the first time.”
The ED
opposed Singhvi’s submission, claiming that the content of CM
Kejriwal’s diet did not match the prescribed diet of the doctor.
It
further opposed CM Kejriwal’s application seeking consultation with a
doctor, saying that the jail had sufficient medical facilities.
“What
has ED got to do with this hearing? It is between me and jail and
court? They are having a media trial and the Press is publishing
anything it wants,” Senior Counsel Ramesh Gupta for CM Kejriwal argued.