New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a diabetic, of “deliberately” consuming mangoes, tea with sugar and sweets to ‘raise his blood sugar levels’ in order to then use it as a ground for bail.
Kejriwal is Type 2 diabetic.
Sources in Tihar jail, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener is currently lodged, told ThePrint that the food items, including mangoes and sweets, are being sent from Kejriwal’s home as the court has allowed him to eat home-cooked food.
“A diet chart has been placed before the court. He was particularly consuming sweet food which is not permitted for any diabetic patient. The matter is pending before the court,” ED’s Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain told media persons Thursday.
The ED made the submission before a Special PMLA court after Kejriwal filed a plea seeking regular check-ups of blood sugar levels by his doctor through video conferencing. This, Hossain argued, was to build a foundation — Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels as a ground for bail.
After the ED’s submission, Kejriwal’s counsel advocate Vivek Jain said that they are withdrawing the plea and will file a fresh one, while contesting that the ED’s submissions are for “media consumption”.
“This is an issue made by ED so that home-cooked food should also be stopped. This concerns his health. Whatever he is having is as per the doctor’s prescribed diet. The matter is sub judice, we do not want to say anything,” Jain told the media.
Asked whether Kejriwal was buying the sweets and mangoes from the store in Tihar that all prisoners have access to, jail sources said all food items consumed by him including tea, fruits and sweets came from his home.
Asked why the jail authorities had cleared high sugar content food for Kejriwal, sources said one did not expect food from own home to violate doctor’s advice.
The ED counsel stated in court that the details about Kejriwal’s food consumption came to light after the agency wrote to Tihar authorities seeking information about his diet and medication.
The court, however, has sought a medical report from the Tihar jail authorities on Kejriwal’s diet and the matter is to be heard tomorrow.
According to the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, the deputy superintendent of the jail, along with the medical subordinate, is responsible for “proper preparation and distribution of food to prisoners”.
Moreover, the deputy superintendent is also responsible for maintaining a record or journal of the food items provided to an inmate and particularly to a “sick” prisoner.
According to prison rules, inmates can have food items from the kitchen or buy from the canteen inside the prison complex. Special diets and home cooked food items are allowed only on court orders. Sources said that Kejriwal has not been eating anything from the canteen.
“Jail security has to check food items sent from outside for inmates. It has to be cleared and checked and can only then reach the prisoner. Jail superintendent is responsible for ensuring the food is properly checked and can also refuse delivery of certain food items to an inmate if he and the medical officer deem them to be harmful,” said a source.
Another source added, “In the Delhi CM’s case, we are following court orders on eating home-cooked meals. He receives home-cooked meals as per the prescribed diet by his own doctor. This raises questions on who is responsible for preparing his diet.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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