Special Judge Kaveri Baweja dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea for daily video consultations with his doctor. Instead, she ordered the Tihar jail authorities to form a medical board consisting of doctors from AIIMS to assess his insulin requirements.
Kejriwal, in custody since April 1st for his alleged involvement in the Delhi excise policy case, had filed an application requesting permission to inject insulin in prison due to his diabetes. He had also sought daily 15-minute online consultations with a private physician in the presence of his wife.
The court permitted home-cooked meals for Kejriwal, but emphasized strict adherence to the diet prescribed by his doctor on April 1st. The jail authorities were instructed to ensure there were no deviations from the prescribed diet.
Earlier, the court had observed discrepancies in the diet and home-cooked meals consumed by Kejriwal. Judge Baweja noted that the food provided to him differed from his doctor’s recommended diet, which excluded mangoes.
The court acknowledged that Kejriwal had not requested insulin in Tihar, based on responses from the ED and jail authorities. However, it criticized the jail authorities for allowing items not included in his diet, including mangoes, sweets, and potato-based dishes, to be sent to him.
The ED had accused Kejriwal of consuming mangoes and other food items to raise his blood sugar levels and strengthen his argument for bail.
According to the ED, Kejriwal’s prison diet in Tihar consists of eggs, poha, snacks, bananas, upma, uttapam, various breads, vegetables, salads, beans, rice, tea, mangoes, papaya, and sweets.
Kejriwal had clarified that mangoes were delivered from his home on only three occasions since his arrest and that he had consumed sugar-free sweets six times.
Counsel for the jail authorities argued that administering insulin could lead to a significant drop in Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels, adding that his sugar levels were generally within normal range.
Recently, a jail official reported that during a 40-minute video consultation with AIIMS specialists, neither Kejriwal nor the doctors brought up the issue of insulin.
