New Delhi: The Delhi Lieutenant Governor's Office has written to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar expressing concern over the reported non-consumption of the prescribed diet by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Tihar Jail where he is lodged in the excise policy 'scam' case.
The letter written by Ashwini Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) cited a report from the prison Superintendent stating that the jail superintendent's report “brings out the fact that there are several instances of willful low-calorie intake by the Chief Minister, despite sufficient home-cooked food being provided to him”.
“The diet monitoring chart indicates that between June 6, 2024, and July 13, 2024, the CM had not fully consumed the prescribed diet for all three meals of the day,” the letter by the LG office said. It further said that the report also suggests a loss of weight (now 61.5 kg, which earlier was 63.5 kg on the date of surrender on June 20, 2024.
“Prima facie, it appears to be due to less calorie intake," said the letter. The Delhi LG expressed concern over the non-consumption of prescribed medical diets and medications by Chief Minister Kejriwal at the Tihar jail.
The Delhi LG has also asked to ascertain the reasons from the CM “since deviations from the same could also have medical and legal ramifications”.
"Prison authorities may advise the Chief Minister to strictly adhere to the prescribed dosage of medicine and insulin, apart from the diet specified by the dieticians. This is more so given that he has a history of Type-ll Diabetes Mellitus. Strict protocols for monitoring the blood sugar levels may also be established to avoid any ambiguity in this regard,” read the Delhi LG's letter to the Chief Secretary.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party while reacting to the letter claimed that there was a “genuine threat to the Delhi CM's life” at the Tihar jail. AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a post on X said, "What kind of joke are you making, LG Sir? Would a man reduce his sugar levels at night? This is very dangerous. LG Sir, if you do not know about the disease, then you should not write such a letter. God forbid such a time ever comes to you”.
Likewise, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi alleged that there was a “conspiracy at play and said that the Delhi CM was at risk of a brain stroke”. "There is a conspiracy to kill Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. BJP is hatching this conspiracy. The Chief Minister's sugar level has come below 50 more than 8 times. In such a situation, CM Kejriwal can go into a coma and in such a situation, there is also a risk of brain stroke," Atishi said.
The Delhi minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of doing politics over the health of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
“He has been a patient with diabetes for the last 30 years, in which the sugar level increases and decreases constantly. There is a chance of serious and chronic disease when the sugar level constantly goes up, but when it suddenly decreases, the condition can be fatal and the patient doesn't get enough time. That person can get a brain stroke, go into a coma, suffer from a brain hemorrhage, or even die. Arvind Kejriwal Ji's sugar level has dropped to this point 5 times. It reached 50 and in such cases, the patient is admitted to the hospital, but the Bharatiya Janata Party put his life in danger," she said.
The Delhi High Court on July 15 fixed August 7 for a hearing on the Enforcement Directorate's plea challenging a trial court order granting regular bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy money laundering case. Kejriwal's lawyers submitted that the Supreme Court has recently granted interim bail to Kejriwal and sought time to file a rejoinder in the matter.
The bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna deferred the matter for August 7, 2024. ED, in its reply, stated that there is a “complete disregard for the vicarious role of Arvind Kejriwal under Section 70 of PMLA” adding bail granted to him by the trial court vacation judge was liable to be canceled and the order granting bail was based on irrelevant consideration or ignores relevant material.
The Delhi High Court stayed the trial Court order granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while allowing the Enforcement Directorate plea seeking a stay on the trial court order in the excise policy money laundering case.
