Supreme Court rejects Kejriwal's plea for 7-day extension on interim bail

In a significant setback for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Wednesday denied his request for a seven-day extension of his interim bail on medical grounds. The court highlighted that the plea for an extension was unrelated to the main petition, which already had a reserved verdict challenging Kejriwal's arrest. The court advised Kejriwal to approach the trial court for regular bail, rendering his application for an extension inadmissible.

Kejriwal had been granted interim bail by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta on May 10 and was ordered to surrender to Tihar jail on June 2. The top court allowed Kejriwal to move to trial court for regular bail, stating that the current application was not maintainable.

Supreme Court’s Registry refuses urgent listing request of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea for the extension of his interim bail by seven days on medical grounds in the Delhi excise policy case pic.twitter.com/8LpPUEiJRH

— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2024

Previous Refusal for Urgent Hearing

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had refused an urgent hearing of Kejriwal's plea for an extension of his interim bail. A vacation bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan questioned why the plea was not mentioned the previous week when Justice Dipankar Datta, who was part of the bench that granted the interim bail, was available on the vacation bench. "Let the Honourable CJI take a decision as it raises the issue of propriety. We will send it to the CJI," the bench had remarked.

Health Grounds Cited for Bail Extension

Kejriwal sought an extension of his interim bail by seven days to undergo several medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, due to "sudden and unexplained weight loss, coupled with high ketone levels." In his bail plea, Kejriwal indicated his willingness to surrender on June 9 instead of the scheduled June 2.

Conditions of Interim Bail

Following his release on May 10, Kejriwal engaged in campaigning for the I.N.D.I.A bloc for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. His interim bail was set to expire on June 1, with a requirement to surrender on June 2. While participating in election campaigning, Kejriwal was prohibited from attending his office as Chief Minister. The Supreme Court imposed conditions on his interim bail, including prohibiting interactions with witnesses or access to official files related to the case.