Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to surrender to the Tihar jail authorities on Sunday, as his 21-day interim bail in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam granted by the Supreme Court expired on Saturday. A Delhi court on Saturday reserved its order on the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convenor’s plea for an extension of bail on medical grounds. The concerned judge reserved the verdict on the bail plea for June 5.
On the last day of his inter-im bail, Mr. Kejriwal attended the INDIA bloc’s meeting held at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, towards the end of the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Earlier, the AAP said Mr. Kejriwal needs to undergo certain medical tests as prescribed by his doctor, which include a PET-CT scan, as he runs the risk of serious disease and that he lost around seven kg of weight during his incarceration.
The Delhi chief minister had also filed an application before the apex court, requesting an extension of his interim bail by seven days so that he could get the medical examinations done. However, the court registry on Wednesday refused to list him for an urgent hearing of his application, noting that the “plea is not maintainable.” Refusing to list Mr. Kejriwal’s plea for an urgent hearing, the top court registry said: “Since the chief minister was given liberty to move to the trial court for regular bail, the plea is not maintainable.”
On Friday, in an emotional appeal to the people of Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal said he was proud to go to jail in the fight against dictatorship and urged everyone to take care of his old parents and pray for their health and well-being while he is behind bars, as he added that it was not known until now when he will remain in jail. He also told the people not to worry, as the work of the city won’t be hampered but will be carried out smoothly in his absence.