Special judge Kaveri Baweja, who initially directed the Enforcement Directorate to file its response to Kejriwal’s bail plea by Saturday, later fixed the matter for June 7 after the investigating agency sought more time to respond. The judge, however, directed the ED to file its response by Saturday on the chief minister’s other plea asking for interim bail on medical grounds.
Appearing for the ED, additional solicitor-general S.V. Raju sought time to file response to the pleas, submitting that there are several suppressions which the probe agency wants to bring on record. Raju said: “He is not in custody. He has been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court. He is today in Punjab campaigning. His health did not hinder him from campaigning. He moves the bail on the last date so that we get very little time. His conduct doesn't entitle him for any orders today.”
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in the excise policy case, becoming the first sitting CM to be in custody. He was granted interim bail until June 1 for election campaigning. He is now on interim bail till June 1, granted by the Supreme Court, after which he will have to surrender.
The apex court registry on Wednesday refused urgent listing of Kejriwal’s petition seeking extension of his interim bail by seven days for undergoing medical tests, saying the plea was not maintainable as he was given liberty to move the trial court for regular bail. The top court refused to accept Kejriwal’s application on grounds of maintainability.
In his petition, Kejriwal pleaded for extension of interim bail by seven days to undergo a host of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, in view of his “sudden and unexplained weight loss coupled with high ketone levels”, which are indicative of kidney, serious cardiac ailments and even cancer. The chief minister, in his fresh plea filed before the apex court on May 26, said he wanted to surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities on June 9 instead of June 2, the scheduled date for his return to prison.
The top court had on May 10 granted 21-day interim bail to the chief minister to enable him to campaign during the Lok Sabha polls. The court directed him to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll gets over.