CM Kejriwal to return to Tihar jail on June 2 as court denies further bail

After 21 days of freedom, AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be back in the Tihar Jail on June 2 in the excise policy case as a city court Saturday reserved its order on his plea seeking interim bail on medical grounds.

A day before he surrenders before the jail authorities, Kejriwal held a meeting of the AAP's political affairs committee at his residence this morning. He later attended the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc meeting at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's home.

Kejriwal was released from the jail on May 10 on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.

Kejriwal said on Friday that he will leave around 3 pm on Sunday to surrender before the jail authorities.

The city court on Saturday reserved for June 5 its order on an application moved by Kejriwal seeking interim bail in the money laundering case linked to alleged excise policy scam.

The court observed that the plea was for interim bail on medical grounds and not for the extension of the interim bail granted by the Supreme Court.
 

Earlier, the Supreme Court registry on Wednesday refused an urgent listing of Kejriwal's plea seeking extension of his interim bail by seven days for undergoing the medical tests. He claimed loss of weight and high ketone level.

Kejriwal has asked people not to be sad if anything happens to him in jail or even if he loses his life. He also asserted he was proud of going to jail to save the country from "dictatorship", saying he did not know how long will he remain behind the bars this time.

He also appealed to the people of Delhi to pray for his elderly parents.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the chief minister should stop his "illness drama" and go back to the jail if he has any respect for law.

It is regrettable to see Kejriwal campaigning after getting bail in a healthy condition and now claiming to be seriously ill and seeking bail on medical ground, he said.