Rejecting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking daily consultations with his doctor through video conferencing, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja on Monday directed Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences   (AIIMS) to constitute a medical board of   a   Senior Endocrinologist/   Diabetologist which will decide whether he needs insulin or not.

Special Judge for CBI and ED cases Kaveri Baweja passed the order while declining Kejriwal’s plea for video consultation with his doctor in the presence of his wife.

The Court in its order said home-cooked food can be provided to Kejriwal but it must strictly adhere to the diet chart given by his doctor on April 1. The board will decide whether he should be administered insulin and also take a call on the diet and exercise plan he needs to follow, the court said. It said there shall be no deviations from the diet plan prescribed by the medical board.

“The said Medical Board is further requested to prescribe a diet and exercise plan, if required, for the Applicant considering his medical requirements and relevant data regarding his vital statistics.

The Medical Board may, as and when required, also physically examine the Applicant in Jail,” the judge said. The judge asked the medical board to submit its report to the court at the earliest specifying as to whether Kejriwal required insulin to control his blood sugar levels.

 “… the food items provided as home-cooked food are quite different from the diet prescribed by his own doctor of WHEALTH, Centre for Excellence in Diabetes and Weight Management,” noted Baweja in her 15 pages order, adding that mangoes were not mentioned in the prescribed diet either.

Kejriwal had moved an application before the court, requesting online consultation with a private doctor every day for 15 minutes in the presence of his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, owing to his diabetic conditions.

The Chief Minister has been lodged in Tihar Jail since April 1, following his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. Kejriwal had alleged he was not being administered insulin in jail leading to “alarming” rise in his blood sugar levels.

“The Medical Board of AIIMS is also requested to submit its report to this court at the earliest specifying as   to   whether   there   is   any   requirement   of administering Insulin to the Applicant at this juncture. Further,   in   case   there   is   need   of   any   medical intervention   for   the   Applicant   by   any   specialist   in future, the decision in this regard shall be taken by the Jail   Authorities   in   consultation   with   the   Medical Board. vi) Jail Authorities shall also send medical report of the Applicant, to this court regularly on a fortnightly basis, till further orders,” the order said. “The   Applicant   ( Kejriwal ) shall   however,   continue   to   be provided   with   home   cooked   food,   subject  to   the condition that it shall strictly be in compliance with the diet as prescribed by the above mentioned Medical Board.  Till the time such Board prescribes a diet plan for   the   Applicant,   his   family   may   provide   home cooked food to him, though it shall be strictly as per diet chart of his private doctor and as permitted vide order dated 01.04.2024,”  the order said.

The ED had claimed on Friday the AAP leader was consuming sugar-laden food like mangoes and sweets on a regular basis to create grounds for medical bail. Kejriwal responded sharply, accusing the central anti-money laundering agency of acting “petty” and “politicising” what he ate. The   reply   filed   by   the   Jail   Authorities   also highlights the medical facilities available in Jail for the inmates. It is further stated that presently there are nearly 1000 inmates with diabetes who are being provided requisite medication by the Jail doctors. It  further said  26 such inmates are also being administered Insulin on the basis of their medical requirement. Further, the Jail has adequate stock of insulin and this fact has also been apprised by Director General (Prisons) to the wife of the applicant.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday welcomed a Delhi court order directing AIIMS to constitute a medical board with diabetes specialist to examine Kejriwal’s health issues. AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj said that today’s court order to constitute a medical board of specialist doctors to examine the Chief Minister has proved that there was no diabetologist in the Tihar jail so far.