Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in jail in the liquor policy case, is deliberately eating sweets and mangoes to raise his blood sugar, the Enforcement Directorate alleged in a Delhi court on Thursday, Bar and Bench reported.
The Aam Aadmi Party, on the other hand, alleged a conspiracy to kill Kejriwal in jail by denying him insulin and other medicines for his diabetes.
Zoheb Hossain, the counsel representing the central law enforcement agency, alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party chief, who is diabetic, plans to apply for bail on medical grounds citing fluctuations in his blood sugar levels.
The court was hearing an application moved by Kejriwal seeking permission to monitor his sugar levels continuously and to consult his doctor.
Advocate Vivek Jain, representing Kejriwal, objected to the Enforcement Directorate’s claims and said that the agency was making allegations “only for the media”. However, he withdrew the plea and said that he would file a better application.
The court sought a report from Tihar Jail officials about Kejriwal’s dietary chart, Bar and Bench reported. The hearing in the matter will resume on Friday.
“The Enforcement Directorate has repeatedly lied in the court,” Delhi minister Atishi said in a press conference later. “ED told the court that Arvind Kejriwal is drinking sweet tea and eating sweets…[He] is allowed tea and sweets with a sweetener prescribed by his doctor.”
Atishi said that Kejriwal has had diabetes for the past 30 years and has been advised to keep bananas, toffees or chocolates in case of a medical emergency. “Because when someone has serious diabetes, his sugar level can fall suddenly,” she said. “Sudden fall in sugar level can also be life-threatening.”
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 and is currently in Tihar Jail. On Monday, the court extended his judicial custody until April 23.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader has challenged his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the Supreme Court. The court has sought the agency’s response in the matter by April 24.
While rejecting the chief minister’s plea, the High Court had said on April 9 that the statements of Hyderabad-based businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and Telugu Desam Party leader Raghav Magunta, two persons accused in the case who later turned approvers – or government witnesses – could not be doubted.
Hours before Kejriwal’s arrest, electoral bond data released by the Election Commission showed a company linked to Reddy had donated Rs 5 crore to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in 2022, just five days after Reddy was taken into custody.
Another Rs 25 crore was donated to the BJP after Reddy turned approver in the case.
Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, the father of Raghav Magunta, got a Lok Sabha election ticket from the Telugu Desam Party, an ally of the BJP, on March 29.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating allegations of money laundering in the liquor policy case based on the first information report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The two central agencies have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor excise policy by increasing the commission of wholesalers from 5% to 12%. This allegedly facilitated the receipt of bribes from wholesalers who had a substantial market share and turnover.
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