The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is currently in judicial custody at Tihar Jail after he was arrested last month for his alleged involvement in the Delhi Excise Policy case. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during a hearing at the Delhi High Court, claimed that Kejriwal had been eating mangoes and other things with sugar in order to spike his blood sugar and get a bail on medical grounds.
On Thursday, the ED as per a Bar and Bench report claimed that he “is deliberately eating mangoes, sweets and taking sugar with tea to raise his blood sugar level”.
ED’s Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain also stated in court “Kejriwal wants to use this as a ground for bail [on medical grounds], citing fluctuations in blood sugar level” during a hearing for Kejriwal’s application to be allowed to regularly consult his doctor through video call.
The ED reportedly said “Arvind Kejriwal is eating high sugar content food despite having type 2 diabetes. He is consuming ‘aloo poori’, mango, sweets, daily. This is being done to make grounds for medical bail.”
What Did Kejriwal Say?
On Friday, another hearing took place before Judge Kaveri Baweja where Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel refuted ED’s claims.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, on behalf of Arvind Kejriwal, revealed in court that he was sent mangoes only three times out of a total of homecooked 48 meals he has had in judicial custody.
Singhvi was quoted by Bar and Bench saying, “The allegation is that I have been consuming mangoes… Out of 48 meals sent from home, only 3 times mangoes were there. They want to do a media trial. Their submission was only for media news. No mangoes have been sent after April 8. The mangoes have been made to look like sugar bullets. Their sugar level is much less than brown rice or white rice.”
Singhvi firmly denied the allegations made by the ED about Kejriwal deliberately eating mangoes, sweets and tea with sugar in jail in an attempt to raise his sugar level.
Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta appearing for Kejriwal also stated “Why ED should be here? They are having press conference before coming here. For the first time I’m seeing a special counsel appearing for jail authorities….Aam kha raha hain aam aadmi. Arey kya khaenge? Mushroom khaenge? Aaj Hindustan Times me aadha front page bhara hua Hain. Kya chahte hain ye?
(Aam aadmi is eating mango. What will aam aadmi eat? Mushroom? Today half front page in Hindustan Times is filled. What do they want?)”
Singhvi also stated as per reports that “ED claimed that 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.”
Regarding his recent plea to be allowed to have a 15-minute video conference with his doctor daily about his acute diabetes and fluctuating blood sugar levels and requested his wife be given permission to join those calls too.
In his appeal, he stated, “I am asking 15 minutes of video-conferencing consultation with my doctor daily and with his (Kejriwal) wife.”
The counsel further added “Is he a gangster? Is he a hardcore criminal? That he cannot get 15 minutes VC daily (with his doctor).”
What Is ED Saying?
Hossein in court today again stated “My submission yesterday was that the content of his diet does not match the prescribed diet of the doctor. The diet chart has no reference to sweets or sweet fruits. The diet appears to be very regulated and strict. Therefore, there is a direct correlation between his submission that he is having an alarming rise in his sugar level and his diet.”
Advocate Yoginder Handoo appearing for the Tihar jail authorities also stood by ED’s claim submitting “There was no stipulation in his (Kejriwal’s) diet that he should have fruit or anything. In fact, he is not following the diet. We have also got an opinion from AIIMS. According to this, he should avoid mangoes. He should follow this diet. There is no need for insulin. In fact, if he takes insulin, sugar level will go down drastically.”
The counsel for the jail authorities was quoted saying “On the whole, blood sugar levels have been maintained. Although he is claiming he is getting home-cooked food, as rightly pointed out by the ED, the prescription has no stipulation that there should be some fruits etc. He is not following the prescribed diet in the food sent from his home.”
The Delhi High Court after the hearing has asked for a diet chart showing what foods have been consumed by Kejriwal in Tihar Jail so far and whether it followed the instructions given by the court on 1st April.
To this, Singhvi answered that while the diet chart was being followed, the one change was that mangoes were sent on three occasions and aloo poori once as prasad. To which the court stated orally “The deviations are certainly there. And they are without order of the court…At the moment I am only looking at compliance of court order.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Universal Times Magazine staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
