The Enforcement Directorate has informed a Delhi Court that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is deliberately trying to raise his blood sugar levels.
As per reports, ED counsel Zoheb Hossain submitted before special judge Kaveri Baweja that the scam-accused Delhi CM, currently in Tihar jail under judicial custody, has claimed that he is a diabetic. But he took court permission to get food delivered from his home and has been consuming foods with high sugar content.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday told a Delhi Court that while Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is claiming that his sugar levels are high, he is having mangoes, sweets and tea with sugar in jail.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) April 18, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/zv1uZ7rrjO#ArvindKejriwal… pic.twitter.com/gzqT97tv2H
The ED counsel has informed the court that Kejriwal has been eating sweets, mangoes and even drinking his tea with added sugar. The submission was made in response to a special request by Kejriwal to get regular checkups for his sugar levels and consultation with his regular doctor via video conference.
“The cause of concern is he was allowed prescribed home-cooked food because he claimed he has high diabetes. But he is having mangoes, sweets, and sugar with tea. This is a basis to create a ground for bail,” Hossain submitted.
Hossain informed the court that the ED came to know about Kejriwal’s food habits and diet after they wrote to Tihar jail authorities inquiring about his diet and medicines that he is taking.
Kejriwal’s lawyer Vivek Jain objected to ED’s submission, and claimed that the ED is doing it only for media headlines. However, he withdrew the appeal for regular sugar checks and video call with a familiar doctor, saying hat he would soon submit a better appeal.
Kejriwal’s counsel has earlier made submission in the Rouse Avenue court regarding the scam-accused CM’s sugar levels and health status.
The court had allowed home-cooked food to be delivered for Kejriwal after a submission.
Sugar-level trick from the popular Prison Break series
It is notable here that using fake blood sugar levels to escape from jail has some pop-culture references. In the popular American TV series Prison Break, the protagonist Micheal Scofield plans an elaborate scheme to get himself and his brother Lincoln out of the high-security Fox River prison. Micheal lets the jail authorities be convinced that he has diabetes by using a drug called PUGNAc, which falsely shows him as a diabetic. Eventually, he uses the visits to the jail infirmary to fix a crucial step in his plan and even manages to befriend the jail doctor. Michael eventually escapes from the Fox River prison with his brother and several others.
How AAP had created drama over Kejriwal’s ‘severe diabetes’
The Aam Aadmi Party, along with ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi Marlena, had made claims that Kejriwal has severe diabetes and the ED and Tihar Jail would be responsible if his health deteriorates.
दिल्ली के CM @ArvindKejriwal Severe Diabetes Patient हैं। Diabetes ऐसी बीमारी है, जो जब Severe होती है, तो उसके साथ और बहुत सारी Complications होती हैं।
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 3, 2024
Diabetes का असर इंसान के Heart, Kidney, आंखों और पूरे Nervous System पर पड़ता है।
Severe Diabetes का बड़ा खतरा है Sugar Level… pic.twitter.com/SZODXkpcNV
On 3rd April, the Tihar Jail authorities dismissed claims about his failing health and stated that Kejriwal’s health is fine. They had added that his weight has been constant and other vital parameters are normal too. They had also mentioned that as per count order, home-cooked food is being delivered to the Delhi CM.
Liquor policy scam
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on 21st March by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the now-defunct Delhi Liquor Policy. The trial court remanded Kejriwal to ED detention until 28th March. Later the court granted ED his custody till 1st April after which he was remanded to 15 days of judicial custody. On 1st April, he was transferred to Tihar Jail where he is currently detained. According to court orders, he is receiving several facilities from home including food.
In November 2021, the Delhi Government introduced a new liquor policy. In June 2022, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee filed a complaint against the policy. In July 2022, the Chief Secretary of Delhi flagged the anomalies in the policy. Delhi LG requested CBI to initiate a probe and ED joined the investigation by registering a matter under PMLA. Since then, multiple arrests have been made including Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain. BRS MLA K Kavitha is also in custody in the liquor policy case.
On April 9, the Delhi High Court dismissed Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest by ED. Making grave observations on the involvement of CM Kejriwal, the Delhi HC said the ED’s evidence shows he conspired and was actively involved in the use and concealment of the proceeds of the crime.
“The evidence gathered by the ED indicates that Mr Arvind Kejriwal conspired and played an active role in the utilization and concealment of proceeds of crime. The ED’s case also suggests his involvement both in a personal capacity and as the convenor of AAP”, the HC had noted.
