New Delhi:

The political tussle between Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has escalated over concerns regarding jailed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s health. AAP leader Atishi alleged that Mr Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels had dangerously fallen below 50 mg/dL on multiple occasions while he remains in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.

In a letter addressed to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Lt Governor VK Saxena expressed concerns about Mr Kejriwal’s health, based on a report from the Superintendent of the prison. Mr Saxena alleged that Mr Kejriwal may be deliberately avoiding the prescribed medical diet and medications, including insulin, despite having Type II Diabetes Mellitus. The letter alleged several instances of “willful low-calorie intake” by the Chief Minister, despite being provided with sufficient home-cooked food.

The LG’s office cited discrepancies in the medical reports, indicating variations between glucometer test readings and continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) reading. The letter also mentioned a weight loss of 2 kg since Mr Kejriwal’s surrender on June 2 attributing it to insufficient calorie intake.

“The report also suggests loss of weight (now 61.5 kg which earlier was 63.5 Kg on the date of surrender – June 2, 2024). Prima facie, it appears to be due to less calorie intake,” the letter read.

AAP’s Response

The Aam Aadmi Party has categorically denied the LG’s allegations. “The Chief Minister’s sugar level has come below 50 more than 8 times. In such a situation, Chief Minister Kejriwal can go into a coma, and there is also a risk of brain stroke,” Atishi said. 

AAP leader Sanjay Singh also criticised the LG’s letter. In a fiery post on social media, Mr Singh said, “What kind of joke are you making, LG Sir? Would a man reduce his sugar levels at night? This is very dangerous. LG Sir, if you do not know about the disease, then you should not write such a letter. God forbid such a time ever comes to you.”

ये क्या मज़ाक़ कर रहें हैं एलजी साहब?
क्या कोई आदमी ख़ुद की रात में शुगर कम करेगा?
जो की बहुत ख़तरनाक है।
एलजी साहब बीमारी के बारे में पता नहीं तो आपको ऐसी लेटर नहीं लिखनी चाहिए।
ईश्वर ना करें कभी आप के साथ ऐसा समय आए। pic.twitter.com/2Y4OTECYtt

— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) July 20, 2024

Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj echoed similar sentiments. “I know that the Lieutenant Governor used to work in a cement manufacturing company. I don’t know if he specialises in diabetes,” he said.

The Delhi High Court recently stayed a trial court order granting bail to Mr Kejriwal in the excise policy money laundering case, following a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court has scheduled a hearing for August 7 to further deliberate on the matter.

Mr Kejriwal’s legal team has argued that the Supreme Court had granted interim bail, seeking time to file a rejoinder. The ED, however, has contended that the bail was granted based on irrelevant considerations, urging the court to cancel it.
 

New Delhi:

Delhi Minister Atishi has been hospitalised after her health deteriorated due to her indefinite hunger strike over the water crisis in the national capital, her party said on Tuesday.

In a post on ‘X’, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the 43-year-old water minister was admitted to the emergency ICU at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital after her blood sugar level dropped to 36. 

“Her blood sugar level dropped to 43 at midnight and to 36 at 3 AM, after which LNJP Hospital doctors advised immediate hospitalization. She has not eaten anything for the last five days,” the AAP said and posted pictures of Ms Atishi being taken to the hospital.

“She’s been admitted in the emergency ICU at LNJP. We pray for her speedy recovery,” it added.

Water Minister Atishi’s health deteriorates

Her blood sugar level dropped to 43 at midnight and to 36 at 3 AM, after which LNJP Hospital doctors advised immediate hospitalization. She has not eaten anything for the last five days and is on an indefinite hunger strike… pic.twitter.com/nl5iTfnwnT

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 24, 2024

Ms Atishi, who began her hunger strike on June 21 amid a prolonged heatwave in Delhi, has demanded the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana release water for the national capital. She has accused Haryana of depriving nearly 28 lakh people of Delhi by releasing 100 million gallons per day (MGD) less water.

ALSO READ | Amid Delhi Water Crisis, AAP’s Appeal To Haryana On “Humanitarian Ground”

“There are 2.8 million people in the city who are aching for just a drop of water,” she said on Monday, the fourth day of her fast.

“My blood pressure and sugar levels are dropping and my weight has gone down. Ketone level is very high which can have harmful effects in the long run,” she said in a video message posted on her official X account.

अनिश्चितक़ालीन अनशन का चौथा दिन- जलमंत्री आतिशी का दिल्लीवालों के लिए संदेश

-Posted by Team Atishi#PaaniSatyagrah4thDaypic.twitter.com/Fc8hkdjtXB

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) June 24, 2024

No matter how much my body suffers, I will continue the fast till Haryana releases water, the AAP minister said.

Atishi Lost 2 Kg In 4 Days: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday said that Atishi has lost about 2 kg weight in the four days of her indefinite fast.

In a statement, the party said, “Water Minister Atishi’s weight is decreasing unexpectedly. Before sitting on hunger strike on June 21, her weight was 65.8 kg which has come down to 63.6 kg on the fourth day of the hunger strike. That is, her weight has decreased by 2.2 kg in just four days,” the statement said.

ALSO READ | Atishi, Raghav Chadha Meet Arvind Kejriwal In Jail, Discuss Water Crisis

The party also said that her blood sugar level has decreased by 28 units on the fourth day as compared to the first day of the hunger strike.

Earlier on Sunday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena held a meeting with a delegation of AAP leaders and said that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has assured that he will look into whether his state can provide extra water to the city.

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party leaders will go to greet Arvind Kejriwal as he walks out of Tihar jail today after being granted bail in a corruption case linked to the Delhi liquor policy. A Delhi court granted bail to the Delhi Chief Minister after his lawyer argued that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had presented no evidence against Mr Kejriwal. The probe agency has challenged the bail in Delhi high court.

But ahead of Mr Kejriwal’s release in the evening today, AAP will present a united front as they protest over a water shortage in the national capital. Water Minister Atishi and Mr Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, will visit the Raj Ghat today where the former goes on an indefinite hunger strike.

Delhi has been hit by a heatwave with temperatures soaring over 50 degrees Celsius which has been made worse by a severe water crisis. Delhi government have approached the Supreme Court claiming that neighbouring Haryana is blocking water from coming into the national capital.

Atishi in her appeal said, “Till the time Haryana doesn’t release water into the Yamuna, water shortage will continue in Delhi. Munak Canal is receiving very little water and on the other hand, Wazirabad Barrage is receiving no water. The water from Yamuna goes to water treatment and is then resent to Delhi’s public after re-treatment. But there is no water in Yamuna, the reason why the supply is halted. I can just stand before the Haryana government with folded hands and appeal to save the lives of Delhi’s public.

Around 4 pm today, Atishi and other AAP leaders will go to Tihar jail as Mr Kejriwal walks out of the prison.

The ED arrested Mr Kejriwal on March 21 over money laundering allegations while framing the Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped after the Lieutenant Governor raised red flags. The ED has alleged the money Mr Kejriwal got from the liquor sellers was used to fund the party’s campaign in Goa since he is the convenor of the AAP.

Mr Kejriwal and the AAP have from the start maintained the Centre has been misusing its agencies to harass the Opposition with false cases.

Yesterday, the judge ordered Mr Kejriwal’s release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh but imposed certain conditions before granting him the relief, including that he would not try to hamper the investigation or influence the witnesses.

The judge also directed Kejriwal to appear before the court whenever required and to cooperate with the investigation.

New Delhi:

After the Delhi court granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an alleged excise police case, Aam Aadmi Party’s Legal team said that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had no proof against the party’s leaders and alleged that the case was a conspiracy of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking to ANI on Thursday on the party supremo getting bail, AAP Legal Cell’s state president Sanjeev Nasiar alleged that the ED was working under “someone’s pressure.”

“Truth has won. This case was false, it was a conspiracy of the BJP party. This is a huge win for the AAP party for the country and all of us. ED has no proof against any of our leaders and they are working under someone’s pressure. They wanted to finish the political career of Arvind Kejriwal but they failed in this,” Advocate Sanjeev Nasiar said.

Advocate Rishikesh Kumar, part of AAP’s legal team, said, “Arvind Kejriwal granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. By tomorrow afternoon, Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail. This is a big win for AAP leaders, country and people.”

AAP National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar claimed that regular bail in a PMLA case is nothing less than an acquittal.

“This case is completely fake, the whole case has been written in the BJP office. We are very grateful to the court for giving a historic verdict,” Priyanka Kakkar said.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said that this decision will become a big example in our law system.

“All the institutions of the country whether it is ED, CBI, all have been taken over. Only the judiciary is left on which people trust. In PMLA, most people get relief only from the Supreme Court. Usually, lower courts never give relief. So it is evident that the central government has no proof in this case,” he said.

Punjab Minister and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema thanked the judiciary for granting bail to the party supremo. “A false case was done against our convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Today the justice has won,” he said.

Meanwhile, AAP leader and Minister of Power of Punjab Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the Constitution has won after Rouse Avenue court granted bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

“Today the Constitution has won…A leader was arrested just ahead of the elections and today his release has made democracy win…people’s faith in the court has strengthened,” said Harbhajan Singh ETO.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said there is a “wave of happiness” in the Aam Aadmi Party.

“Arvind Kejriwal getting bail is a slap on the face of the opponents of democracy, a very big slap. This happiness will be more when he returns. Now his voice will be heard openly in the House as well,” Mr Goel said.

Vacation judge Nyay Bindu of Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Thursday granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal on furnishing bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. However, the ED opposed the bail application.

The court refused the request of ED to postpone the process of filing of bail bond for 48 hours. ED requested the postponement so that they could avail their legal remedy to challenge the order at the High Court. The court has also said that the bail order has not been stayed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Recounting her ordeal on May 13, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has said she was slapped seven to eight times, dragged by her foot, and her head had hit the table when she was assaulted at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence by his personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar. 

Ms Maliwal said she kept screaming throughout, but no one came to her rescue. “I am not giving a clean chit to anybody. Arvind Kejriwal was at home when the assault happened,” she told news agency ANI. 

Mr Kumar has been arrested and is in police custody. The attack has also sparked a political firestorm, with the BJP attacking the Aam Aadmi Party and Mr Kejriwal – who is its convenor – and questioning their stance on the safety of women. The AAP has hit back, pointing to the alleged shielding of people like BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and also alleged that Ms Maliwal is “working for” the ruling party at the Centre. 

Speaking to ANI, Ms Maliwal, who is a former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, said she had gone to the chief minister’s residence at 9 am and staff members had asked her to wait in the drawing room.

“They told me Arvind ji is at home and is coming to meet me. In the meantime, Bibhav Kumar stormed into the room (“dhandhanate huye aate hai“) and I just asked him, ‘What happened? Arvind ji is coming, what happened?’ and he started attacking me. He slapped me hard seven to eight times. When I tried to push him, he held my foot and dragged me. My head hit the centre table,” the MP said in Hindi. 

When she fell, Ms Maliwal claimed, he began kicking her. She said she kept screaming at the top of her voice, but no one came to her aid. 

Asked whether she was claiming that Mr Kumar did what he did at someone’s instructions, Ms Maliwal said, “This is a matter of investigation and I am cooperating with the Delhi Police. At the same time, I am not giving anyone a clean chit. The fact is that I was in the drawing room, Arvind Kejriwal was at home and I was beaten up very badly. I screamed and shouted, but no one came.”

The MP said she did not think about her career or what she would have to go through before raising her voice. 

“I just thought that I had to live by what I have always told women – that they should stand by the truth, make truthful complaints and fight if they have been wronged. So how can I not fight,” she asked. 

‘Free And Fair Probe’

Reacting to Ms Maliwal’s claims, Mr Kejriwal had said on Wednesday that he wants a free and fair investigation, but had stressed that there are two versions to every event. 

“…I expect there will be a fair investigation. Justice should be served. There are two versions of the event. Police should investigate both versions fairly and justice should be done,” the chief minister had said. 

Ms Maliwal had hit back almost immediately and said it was ironic that the person who had “assassinated her character” and called her a “BJP agent” was now calling for a free and fair probe. 

New Delhi:

Delhi’s ruling AAP – locked in a political row with the BJP over Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and assault allegations by Swati Maliwal against his aide – is on the defensive yet again, this time after the Enforcement Directorate alleged the party received Rs 7 crore from donors in Canada, the United States, the Middle East, New Zealand, and Australia between 2014 and 2022.

A furious AAP leader Atishi hit back at the claim Monday evening, declaring herself “very angry with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi) and accusing the BJP – which she said is “clearly losing all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and Punjab – of orchestrating political attacks via the federal agency.

“After the failure of the liquor scam and the Swati Maliwal case, now the BJP has brought this case (back)… this clear shows BJP is losing the twenty seats of Delhi and Punjab. (But) all this is not going to work. This is not the ED’s action… but the BJP. I know I am very angry with Modi,” Atishi said.

The Delhi PWD Minister pointed out the charges against her party stem from a case that is 11 years old, and one to which “all answers have been given to ED, Central Bureau of Investigation, Home Ministry, and Election Commission”. “This is a conspiracy by Modi to defame AAP,” Atishi raged.

“BJP does this before every election… many such false allegations will be made over the next four days (before Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats vote, all of which were won by the BJP last time),” she said.

AAP Got Illegal Foreign Funds, Claims ED

Earlier today ED sources told NDTV the AAP’s receipt of foreign funds between 2014 and 2022 violated provisions of the FCRA, or Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. The law says parties cannot take foreign funds.

According to the agency, many of the donors recorded identical passport, credit card, and mobile phone numbers, as well as e-mail IDs. A confidential report to the Home Ministry, which has been leaked, indicates that 155 people living abroad donated Rs 1.02 crore on 404 occasions.

The ED has claimed each donation is linked to one of only 55 passports, and that the AAP, to avoid restrictions, hid donor identities and routed the funds directly into an account with IDBI Bank Ltd.

This alleged breach of the law came to light, agency sources have said, during inquiries into a drug smuggling case involving former AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is now with the Congress.

Documents seized in a raid of his home contained information on the donors, the ED has alleged. Some of the funds were allegedly siphoned by other AAP leaders for personal use.

AAP’s 2013 Foreign Funds Case

This is not the first time the AAP has been accused of receiving foreign funds.

As far back as 2013 – when the Congress-led UPA government was in power – the AAP was linked to foreign funding. Mr Kejriwal had then said the Congress, now its ally under the INDIA umbrella, is “scared of the AAP” and dared it to also probe foreign funds received by itself and the BJP.

READ | AAP Did Not Get Illegal Foreign Funds: Centre To High Court

That same year the Association for Democratic Reforms approached the Delhi High Court claiming the BJP and Congress had received tens of crores via Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies.

READ | Plea For CBI Probe Into AAP’s Funding Junked By High Court

Two years later the Union Home Ministry told the High Court it had found no evidence and, months later, a petition seeking a full-fledged probe was junked, saying there was no reason to intervene.

READ | “Answer These Points”: Home Ministry To AAP On Foreign Funding

However, two years after that the centre once again asked the AAP to explain funds received from foreign sources and sent a notice to the party. The AAP hit back with claims of a “witch hunt”.

AAP Vs BJP In Election Run–Up

The AAP and the BJP have clashed over multiple issues in the past weeks and months, with rancour ramped up ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

This has included Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in March – by the Enforcement Directorate – in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam. The Chief Minister – a diabetes patient who claimed not to have received potentially life-saving insulin injections while in jail – was given bail till June 1 so he can campaign.

Swati Maliwal’s assault allegations – against Mr Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar – have also become a flashpoint between the AAP and the BJP, with the latter demanding the Chief Minister resign.

READ | Graffiti “Threatening” Kejriwal In Metro Trains, AAP Blames BJP

This morning the AAP accused the BJP of sponsoring threats against Mr Kejriwal. This was after graffiti was found inside Delhi Metro trains targeting the chief minister. Delhi Police is probing the claims.

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Arvind Kejriwal Bail Hearing LIVE Updates:

The Supreme Court is expected to give its verdict today on interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in a money laundering case and is seeking a release from jail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

A bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, had reserved its verdict on Mr Kejriwal’s interim bail on May 7.

Mr Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody.

Earlier Tuesday, a Delhi court extended his judicial custody till May 20.

Here are the LIVE updates on Arvind Kejriwal’s bail hearing:

Get NDTV UpdatesTurn on notifications to receive alerts as this story develops.

Arvind Kejriwal’s Interim Bail Live: Probe Agency’s Affidavit In Supreme Court

In its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday, the ED pointed out that, while hearing the bail plea of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia — a co-accused in the same Delhi liquor policy case — the court had said that the laws apply equally to all citizens and institutions, including the State.

Stating that Arvind Kejriwal had sought interim bail primarily for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections, the agency submitted, “It is relevant to note that the right to campaign is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional right and not even a legal right.”

The agency also argued that 123 elections have taken place in the past five years and if interim bail is granted to Mr Kejriwal for campaigning, then no politician can be kept in judicial custody since polls take place around the year.

Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail Live: Probe Agency ED Opposes Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail

The probe agency ED has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing Arvind Kejriwal’s petition. It said that laws are equal for all and that campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls is not a fundamental, constitutional, or even a legal right.

The central agency also said that no political leader has ever been granted bail for campaigning and that letting Mr Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), out of jail to canvas for his party candidates would set a wrong precedent.

Arvind Kejriwal Bail Live: Supreme Court Had Reserved Its Verdict On May 7

A Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, had reserved its verdict on interim bail of Arvind Kejriwal on May 7.

The bench reserved its decision after hearing the arguments put forth by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who appeared for Mr Kejriwal, and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who appeared for the Enforcement Directorate.

The bench has divided the hearing on Mr Kejriwal’s petition against his arrest into two parts. His main petition challenges his arrest by the probe agency and seeks it to be declared as “illegal”. The second aspect pertains to the grant of interim bail keeping in mind the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Arvind Kejriwal Bail Hearing LIVE: Supreme Court’s Verdict On Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail Likely Today
The Supreme Court is likely to give its order today on interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Mr Kejriwal was arrested in a money laundering case and is seeking a release from jail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.