Kejriwal seeks bail extension for medical tests

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sought extension of his interim bail by seven days from the Supreme Court to undergo a host of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan in view of his "sudden and unexplained weight loss, coupled with high ketone levels", which are indicatives of kidney, serious cardiac ailments and even cancer. Kejriwal, in his plea filed on May 26, said he will surrender back to jail on June 9, instead of June 2, the scheduled date for his return to prison.

"The appellant prays for an extension of his interim bail by a week, during which the Appellant can get the prescribed done and obtain results of the same. The Appellant will get all these tests done in the working week from June 3 (Monday) to June 7 (Friday) and then surrender on the weekend, i.e. June 9," the fresh plea, according to the sources, said.

The top court had on May 10 granted 21-day interim bail to the chief minister, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy 'scam', to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed that Kejriwal shall surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll gets over. The fresh plea, which is likely to be taken up in the coming days by a vacation bench, said during the incarceration from March 21 to May 10, the chief minister suffered a lot of health-related complications which are also "partly attributable to the negligent and callous behaviour of the jail authorities".

Kejriwal lost around six to seven kg of weight in the jail and has not been able to regain even after his release and renewing his earlier lifestyle to the extent possible, it said. "