New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – a diabetes patient who has gone to court claiming Tihar Jail officials have withheld his supply of insulin for 31 days – has hit out at prison authorities, accusing them of making “false statements” and “lying under political pressure (from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party)”.

Sources said the Aam Aadmi Party leader – in jail since the Enforcement Directorate arrested him on March 21 in the alleged Delhi liquor scam case – wrote a note to Tihar Jail’s Superintendent after the prison arranged a video conference with doctors from the central government-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences. After the meeting jail officials claimed the supply of insulin had not been raised.

Jail officials also claimed the doctors “assured (Mr Kejriwal) there is no serious concern” and advised him to “continue with the prescribed medicines, which will be evaluated regularly”.

Mr Kejriwal, though, has a different take on the matter.

“I read the statement of Tihar administration in the newspaper… I felt sad after reading the statements. Both statements of Tihar Jail are false. I am asking for insulin daily… I showed the glucometer readings (three times a day) and told them sugar levels are high…”

According to Mr Kejriwal the sugar level readings are between 250 and 320 mg/dl. “Almost every day, I demanded insulin. Then how could you make such a statement that I never raised the issue of insulin?”

According to the World Health Organization, “expected values for normal fasting blood glucose concentration are between 70 and 100 mg/dL (or milligrams per decilitre)”. 

READ | Arvind Kejriwal In 14×8 Feet Cell. See What All Court Has Allowed

“AIIMS doctors never said there is nothing to worry about… they said they will respond after looking at the (medical) data and (patient) history,” the Chief Minister reportedly said.

“The Tihar administration is lying under political pressure…” he is understood to have told the jail chief, ramping up tension between himself and the centre – which he has accused of “political vendetta” – ahead of the Lok Sabha election in the national capital on May 25. 

The Aam Aadmi Party leader – in jail since the Enforcement Directorate arrested him on March 21 in the alleged Delhi liquor scam case – moved a court last week seeking directions for supply of the life-saving drug. Mr Kejriwal criticised the jail and probe agency for being “petty” and “politicising” his well-being.

READ | “Had Mangoes Only Thrice, Sweets 6 Times In Jail”: Arvind Kejriwal

The court – to which the ED claimed the Chief Minister deliberately ate foods high in sugar – like mangoes and toffees – to place his health at risk and prove grounds for medical bail – quizzed Mr Kejriwal about variations in his prescribed diet and reserved its verdict for today.

Why Was Arvind Kejriwal Arrested?

The probe agency believes the Chief Minister played a key role in drafting the now-scrapped policy and seeking bribes, or kickbacks, in return for liquor licences.

These kickbacks, the ED has claimed, amounted to around Rs 600 crore and some of this, the ED has said, was used to fund the party’s Punjab and Goa election campaigns, which won the AAP its first state government outside Delhi and confirmed its status as a national political party.

The AAP and Mr Kejriwal have refused all charges and called the arrest. The Chief Minister’s colleague, Atishi, has accused the centre of a “conspiracy to kill” Mr Kejriwal since it seems unable to defeat him in an election; the reference was to the past two Assembly polls.

READ | Kejriwal To Stay In Jail For Now, Supreme Court Refuses Early Hearing

Mr Kejriwal has challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court. However, the top court has refused an early hearing. He must now wait till April 29, when the court reconvenes to hear the ED’s reply.

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New Delhi:

Has Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – a Type 2 diabetes patient – been denied insulin while behind bars in Tihar Jail? Did Mr Kejriwal eat mangoes and sweets, and did he drink tea with sugar instead of a non-calorific sweetener meant for diabetics? And how many times did he eat aloo-puri?

These are the questions at the heart of the latest row between the Aam Aadmi Party leader and the Enforcement Directorate, which had opposed his request for daily 15-minute video consults with his doctor; the ED claimed Mr Kejriwal had deliberately eaten foods high in sugar to create grounds for medical bail. The court resumed its hearing today and then reserved its verdict for Monday.

Arvind Kejriwal’s Insulin Request

In today’s hearing Mr Kejriwal – who sought directions to jail officials to ensure supply of insulin – hit out at the ED for being “petty” and “politicising” his diet in jail instead of ensuring his health.

“Just because I am a prisoner… do I have no right to a dignified life and good health? Am I a gangster that I cannot even be allowed 15 minutes of video conference with my doctor?” he asked in court.

“ED claimed I want to increase my blood sugar levels to get bail. Am I going to risk paralysis to get bail? Whatever food I have is as per the diet chart prepared by my doctor prior to arrest,” senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Mr Kejriwal, told the court at the hearing start.

In his submission Mr Kejriwal said he had been prescribed 50 units of insulin – 28 in the morning and 22 at night – since 2012, and that he had been “deprived of the life-saving drug for the last 29 days”.

“It is shocking that ED (believes) a person would deliberately cause such alarming hikes in sugar level and risk his life – for getting medical bail,” Mr Kejriwal argued in his submission, countering the ED’s rationale for the spike in his blood sugar level – that he has deliberately been eating sugary foods.

To this the ED replied: “Legal mulakaats (meetings) were abused earlier… there is a court order.”

“The real reason for the continuous spike is the refusal of jail authorities to give insulin to the applicant, which is a life-saving drug…” the Chief Minister’s submission argued.

Mr Kejriwal’s submission offered a detailed rebuttal to the ED’s claims, including providing the names of the insulin injections and underlining his doctor’s recommendations, as well as listing when he had been supplied with mangoes (as part of the home-cooked meals allowed by the court).

“The allegation is I have been consuming mangoes (but) out of 48 meals from home, only three had mangoes. No mangoes were sent after April 8,” Mr Kejriwal’s lawyer said, arguing the ED had made mangoes “look like sugar bullets”. “(In reality) their sugar level is less than brown or white rice.”

READ | After AAP’s “Plan To Kill” Claim, Kejriwal’s Court Plea For Insulin

On the ED’s claim that Mr Kejriwal regularly had white sugar in his tea, Mr Singhvi clarified the Chief Minister only used Sugar Free, a popular artificial sugar food item. Slamming the probe agency for being “ridiculous”, Mr Singhvi also accused it of misusing its “influence in the media”.

“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 only once – during Navratri,” he told the court.

READ | AAP Claims “Plan To Kill Kejriwal In Jail” In “Eating Mangoes” Row

The ED opposed these submissions, claiming the food Mr Kejriwal was eating did not match the prescribed diet chart. It also argued the jail had sufficient medical facilities to care for Mr Kejriwal.

“Please see the diet prescribed to him. It has no reference to any sweet or fruits or sweet items. It appears to be a very regulated and restricted diet… Therefore it has direct relation to his submission – that he has an alarming rise in sugar level,” the ED’s lawyer, Zuhaib Hossain, told the court.

The ED’s legal team also argued that the presence of mangoes in Mr Kejriwal’s diet were contrary to what was allowed by the Chief Minister’s doctor. They also referred a report by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, which said “food to be avoided are mangoes, bananas, chikoo, etc…”

READ | Arvind Kejriwal In 14×8 Feet Cell. See What All Court Has Allowed

Mr Singhvi, however, emphasised that the fruit had been sent only thrice. The last time was April 8 and the first blood sugar reading after that was three days later. “What is the relation…” he asked.

“He was given mangoes three times and aloo-puri once…” he said, answering “No” in response to a question by the bench about variations in Mr Kejriwal’s diet from what was allowed by the court.

As the hearing wound down, Mr Kejriwal pointed out that his medical condition is “bad and Monday will be late”, to which the court said, “File your replies by tomorrow. I’ll reserve orders on Monday.”

Why Was Arvind Kejriwal Arrested?

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam in the national capital. The probe agency believes the Chief Minister played a key role in drafting the now-scrapped policy and seeking bribes, or kickbacks, in return for liquor licences.

The AAP and Mr Kejriwal have refused all charges and called the arrest and case “political vendetta”, coming as it did, weeks before the Lok Sabha election.

READ | Kejriwal To Stay In Jail For Now, Top Court Refuses Early Hearing

Mr Kejriwal has challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court. However, the top court has refused an early hearing. He must now wait till April 29, when the court reconvenes to hear the ED’s reply.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate has opposed a request by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – in Tihar Jail following his arrest last month on corruption charges – to consult his regular doctor via a videoconference. Mr Kejriwal is a Type 2 diabetic and has received medication while in jail, but his Aam Aadmi Party has expressed concern over fluctuating blood sugar levels and weight loss.

Heard by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, the plea was rubbished by the federal agency, which alleged the AAP leader – despite claims about ill health – partakes freely of sweets and mangoes; neither is advised for diabetes patients. The ED claimed Mr Kejriwal was laying the ground for a bail appeal.

“Diet chart has mangoes and sweets on it… it has been placed before the court. (Mr Kejriwal) is regularly consuming foods not permitted for any diabetic patient,” Zuhaib Hussain, the ED’s legal counsel, said after the hearing. “The person is in court’s custody… and court has to ensure their safety.”

Mr Kejriwal’s legal team has, however, insisted that all food items on the Chief Minister’s diet chart had been prescribed by his doctor. His lawyer accused the ED of cooking up excuses to stop the supply of home-cooked food, which was permitted by the court in view of the AAP leader’s diabetes.

READ | AAP Says Kejriwal’s Health Deteriorated In Probe Agency Custody

“He is only eating what is prescribed by doctors. ED is trying to stop supply of home-cooked food. This concerns the health of the Chief Minister…” Vivek Jain, the AAP leader’s lawyer, told reporters.

The court has sought a report from the jail authorities and adjourned the matter for Friday.

Apart from fierce legal battles over the corruption charges, Mr Kejriwal and jail authorities are also fighting over his health. The AAP – after he was sent to Tihar Jail – claimed he had lost 4.5 kg.

READ | AAP Says Kejriwal Unwell, Lost 4.5 Kg In Jail, Officials Disagree

This was after Delhi Minister Atishi said Mr Kejriwal’s blood sugar level had dropped precipitously – to 46 Mg – at one time. Atishi said doctors had advised her such a drop is “very dangerous”.

When Mr Kejriwal was sent to jail under judicial custody, the court recognised his illness and allowed home-cooked food and bottled water, and a supply of toffees in case of a sudden blood sugar fall.

READ | Arvind Kejriwal In 14×8 Feet Cell. See What All Court Has Allowed

He was also given access to bed linen from home and medical equipment to monitor his health.

READ | Up At 6:30, Dal, Sabzi For Lunch, Dinner: Kejriwal’s Tihar Routine

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam in the national capital. The probe agency believes the Chief Minister played a key role in drafting the now-scrapped policy and seeking bribes, or kickbacks, in return for liquor licences.

The ED has claimed the AAP received Rs 600 crore in this manner – a majority from a ‘south group’ led by BRS lawmaker K Kavitha (also in Tihar Jail) – and used some of this to fund its Goa and Punjab election campaigns. Apart from Mr Kejriwal (and Ms Kavitha), former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were also arrested. Mr Singh has received bail.

READ | Kejriwal To Stay In Jail For Now, Top Court Refuses Early Hearing

Arvind Kejriwal has challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court. However, the top court has refused an early hearing. He must now wait till April 29, when the court reconvenes to hear the ED’s reply.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

Udhampur:

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday launched scathing attacks on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said that the latter is in jail because there is no one left who has not been cheated by Kejriwal.

Addressing a public gathering today, Anurag Thakur said there was corruption, nepotism during the Congress government.

“You have to go and tell people what the Narendra Modi government has done. There was corruption, and nepotism during the Congress government. 2G scam, CWG, Coal, National Herald and submarine scam. But PM Modi had said ‘Na khaunga, na khane dunga’. Today Congress-Aam Aadmi Party have come together,” he said.

“I want to ask you whether action should be taken against corrupt people or not,” he added.

Further, Anurag Thakur pointed out that today Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are on bail. Fodder scamster Lalu Yadav is on bail. Corrupt Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain are in jail.

“Arvind Kejriwal is in jail today because “Aisa Koi saga nahi, jisko Kejriwal ne thaga nahi.” (There is no one left who has not been cheated by Kejriwal). More than Rs 100 crore bribe was there in the liquor scam. The kingpin of the scam is Kejriwal. Is he above the law? The people of Delhi are demanding an account today,” he said.

Meanwhile, the wife of jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sunita on Wednesday said that her husband, who is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged excise scam, will reveal the truth regarding the case in court on March 28.

Arvind Kejriwal will be produced before the court on Thursday at the end of his ED custody in Delhi excise policy money laundering case.

In a video message, Sunita Kejriwal hit out at the Centre and central probe agency, saying that the ED could not find a single penny in its more than 250 raids conducted in the “so-called liquor scam”.

“In the so-called liquor scam, ED has conducted more than 250 raids. They are searching for the money of this so-called scam. They have found nothing yet. Arvind Kejriwal has said that he will reveal everything in court on March 28. He will reveal where the money of the liquor scam is. He will also provide proof…” she said.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s National Convenor was arrested on March 21 for alleged misdoings in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy case under an ongoing money laundering probe by the ED. He is in ED custody till March 28.

The case relates to alleged irregularities and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi excise policy in 2022.In its initial prosecution complaint filed in November 2021, the ED stated that the policy was intentionally designed with loopholes, facilitating the formation of cartels clandestinely to favor AAP leaders.

Additionally, the ED accused AAP leaders of receiving kickbacks from a group of individuals referred to as the “South Group.”

The case originated from a report presented by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena in July 2022, highlighting purported procedural deficiencies in the development of the policy.

The report said “arbitrary and unilateral decisions” taken by Sisodia in his capacity as Excise Minister had resulted in “financial losses to the exchequer” estimated at more than Rs 580 crore.This report was referred to the CBI, and led to Sisodia’s arrest.

While Arvind Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED’s chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

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

New Delhi:

MLAs from both the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP held protests on the Delhi Assembly premises on Wednesday raising slogans against each other.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs held a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the ED in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators and their supporters raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Both the parties staged protests simultaneously. As the BJP legislators took out a march carrying placards, the AAP leaders and workers, dressed in yellow T-shirts, started raising slogans against PM Modi while following the saffron party’s MLAs.

Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said Arvind Kejriwal should resign as the chief minister.

“The chief minister should resign from his post. There are almost a dozen allegations of corruption against him. If the excise policy was world class, why did he take it back? We are demanding Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation,” Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said.

The BJP MLAs congregated at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises where they protested.

Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said while Arvind Kejriwal currently faces charges in one case, investigations are ongoing in numerous others, necessitating his accountability for multiple alleged scams. He asserted that resignation remains the only viable recourse in such circumstances.

He said Arvind Kejriwal continuing to occupy of the chief minister’s post undermines both moral and constitutional principles, advocating for his prompt resignation to prevent further detriment to Delhi.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva also held a demonstration outside the entrance of the assembly premises around noon with a group of about 100 party workers from Mayur Vihar, along with the party’s Mahila Morcha and Yuva Morcha office-bearers, demanding the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal.

Dressed in black, the BJP workers gathered at the Vidhan Sabha entrance gate and started raising slogans. Virendra Sachdeva himself scaled the gate shouting slogans.

Police did not allow them to enter the assembly premises. The security personnel locked the main gate and subsequently detained the protesters.

Virendra Sachdeva said the people of Delhi are frustrated watching the “illegal” political melodrama of the Arvind Kejriwal government and claimed that they will teach a lesson to the AAP-Congress alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by totally rejecting them.

He said two ministers of the Delhi government are already in jail and claimed that Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj might also land in prison soon for allegedly issuing fake letters.

Before the commencement of the assembly proceedings, the AAP MLAs staged a protest outside the House and raised slogans demanding Arvind Kejriwal’s immediate release from the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody.

The party leaders, including Atishi and Bharadwaj, were part of the protest. They were dressed in yellow T-shirts with slogans like “Main Bhi Kejriwal” and “Modi ka Sabse Bada Dar Kejriwal” written on them. They also burnt an effigy.

The AAP national convener was arrested by the ED on March 21 and subsequently remanded to the federal agency’s custody till March 28 by a court here.

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

New Delhi:

Arvind Kejriwal will make a big revelation in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam that has roiled the Aam Aadmi Party and led to the Chief Minister’s arrest just weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, his wife Sunita Kejriwal said Wednesday morning.

Mrs Kejriwal said the Chief Minister – arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week and remanded to judicial custody till April 9 – would reveal the location of “money from the so-called liquor scam”. She also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over attacks on Mr Kejriwal after he issued directions to Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, the city’s Public Works and Health Ministers.

“Arvindji told me that in the past two years they (referring to probe agencies like the ED) conducted 250 raids in this so-called liquor policy case. He told me that they are searching for the money from this so-called scam… but so far they have not recovered a single paise of illegal money,” she said.

“They raided (ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish) Sisodia… they raided (Rajya Sabha MP) Sanjay Singh… they raided (former Health Minister Satyendar) Jain. But they did not find even one paise.”

“They raided us (Mr Kejriwal’s home) also and found only Rs 73,000. So where is all this money from the so-called liquor scam? Arvindji has said he will reveal everything in court (tomorrow).”

“The whole country will bear witness. He said he has proof,” she said, hailing the Chief Minister as a “brave, truthful, and honest patriot”. Mrs Kejriwal also said her husband had given her a message to the people of Delhi. “He said, ‘My body is in jail… but my spirit is with all of you’.”

New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court is set to hear Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s challenge to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week and a trial court’s order that remanded him in the agency’s custody for a week.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma will hear the matter at 10.30 am today. The petition challenging the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s arrest was filed on April 23, two days after his arrest in a money laundering case related to Delhi’s now-scrapped excise policy.

A day after his arrest, Mr Kejriwal had approached the Supreme Court for relief. However, he later withdrew his petition and his counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, said they would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and return to the top court with another petition.

Thereafter, he was produced before the Rouse Avenue court, which remanded him in a weeklong custody.

The ED’s money laundering case is based on a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2022 that alleged irregularities in the liquor policy.

The CBI case, registered on a complaint by Delhi’s Centre-appointed Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, alleges that top AAP leaders intentionally left loopholes in the policy to favour some licensees.

The ED alleges that Mr Kejriwal was a key conspirator in the case. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha have been arrested in this connection.

The Opposition leaders have denied the allegations and accused the BJP-led central government of using probe agencies such as ED and CBI for political motives.

The AAP has also hit out at the BJP over the timing of the arrest, alleging that it was trying to prevent Mr Kejriwal from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The party, which is in power in Delhi, has maintained that Mr Kejriwal will continue as Chief Minister. AAP ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj have said the Chief Minister is issuing orders from the ED’s lock-up and assured Delhi residents that the Chief Minister is constantly thinking about their well-being.

New Delhi:

A day after the CBI opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction of the Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence, a defiant Arvind Kejriwal threw down a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Kejriwal won’t bow down… no matter how many fake investigations he (the Prime Minister) files,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said in his first response to the CBI move.