A Delhi court on Monday questioned why jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was receiving foods such as mangoes, sweets, and aloo puri in prison from his family as part of his home-cooked meals and not conforming to his medically prescribed diet.
Kejriwal, who is a diabetic patient, is not allowed to eat such food items according to the diet set by doctors. The court’s scrutiny stems from an order issued on April 1, permitting Kejriwal to partake in home-cooked meals within the confines of the prison due to his health condition.
However, it has come to light that these meals have occasionally deviated from the dietary regimen outlined by medical professionals. Special Judge (PC) Act Kaveri Baweja also raised the issue to the jail authorities for allowing such food items, which were not part of the court’s order or the medical prescription.
The court underscored the authorities’ failure to alert the court regarding this non-compliance or to take corrective measures to ensure adherence to the prescribed diet. “The Jail Authorities, in the present case, have also offered no explanation whatsoever, as to why the food items which were not as per order of this court dated 01.04.2024 and the medical prescription of the applicant, were allowed to be sent to him, in the first place,” the Judge said, as quoted by Bar and Bench.
The court’s recent observations came amid Kejriwal’s plea rejection, wherein he sought directions for the Tihar Jail authorities to allow him 15 minutes daily for a video conference consultation with his doctor.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the AAP supremo’s request, alleging that he was purposefully consuming mangoes, sweets, and other items in his home-cooked meals to artificially elevate his sugar levels, potentially as a strategy to seek bail.
The Court, in the order passed, made detailed observations regarding Kejriwal’s consumption of mangoes. The court highlighted that mushrooms were medically prescribed by Kejriwal’s doctor, whereas there was no specific endorsement for mangoes in his dietary chart filed before the court on April 1, 2024.
“The arguments of Ld. Senior Counsel for the applicant that the Glycemic Index of mango is less as compared to white rice or brown rice also seems to be misplaced since the applicant’s own doctor did not specifically prescribe mangoes to the applicant as per the diet chart filed by the applicant before this court on 01.04.2024,” the judge said.
Regarding Kejriwal’s request for insulin administration, the court noted stark disparities between the medical reports submitted by Kejriwal and those provided by the jail doctor, particularly in blood sugar levels.