A Delhi court on Monday rejected an application by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal - a Type 2 diabetes patient - for daily 15-minute video consultations with his doctor.
The Rouse Avenue Court has, however, ordered the constitution of a medical panel - of specialist doctors - to decide if the Aam Aadmi Party leader does, in fact, need regular insulin shots.
This panel will also prescribe a diet and exercise plan for Arvind Kejriwal, 55.
However, till the panel is constituted and arrives at its recommendations, the Chief Minister may continue to have home-cooked food, so long as it adheres to the instructions of the court. Till that time, jail officials will also have to submit a court report every 15 days on Mr Kejriwal's health. While sending him to judicial custody earlier this month the court had allowed him home-cooked food and bottled drinking water.
Back to today's hearing, and the court directed jail officials to ensure proper medical care is available to the Chief Minister, including treatment from diabetologists or endocrinologists.
Mr Kejriwal, who was arrested last month in the alleged liquor policy scam, also moved the court last week, claiming Tihar Jail officials had failed to provide a regular supply of insulin, a critical drug for diabetics. The Chief Minister's party claimed a "conspiracy to kill" him.
READ | AAP Claims "Plan To Kill Kejriwal" In Jail Amid "Mangoes" Row
The AAP leader has said he has been prescribed 50 units of insulin daily - 28 in the morning and 22 at night - and that he had been "deprived of the life-saving drug for 29 days".
READ | After AAP's "Plan To Kil..." Claim, Kejriwal's Plea For Insulin
This morning, he said his blood sugar level was between 250 and 320 mg/dl; according to the World Health Organization guidelines "expected values for normal fasting blood glucose concentration are between 70 and 100 mg/dL (or milligrams per decilitre)".
Sources said Mr Kejriwal has written to the Tihar Jail Superintendent challenging the release of a statement over the weekend that said doctors the central government-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences had "assured (the Chief Minister) there is no serious concern".
"I read the statement of Tihar administration in the newspaper. Both statements are false. I am asking for insulin daily... I showed the glucometer readings (three times a day) and told them sugar levels are high..." he said.
READ | "Asking For Insulin Daily": Arvind Kejriwals Letter To Tihar Jail Officials
"AIIMS doctors never said there is nothing to worry about... they said they will respond after looking at the (medical) data and (patient) history," the Chief Minister reportedly said.
Last week the arresting agency, the Enforcement Directorate, opposed Mr Kejriwal's request on grounds that earlier meetings had been "misused"; the implied reference was to the Chief Minister issuing instructions to his government - to Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj and PWD Minister Atishi - from jail, a practice the opposition BJP has slammed as unethical.
The ED also claimed Mr Kejriwal had deliberately eaten foods high in sugar - mangoes and toffees - to elevate his blood sugar level and establish grounds for medical bail. The ED had also argued that mangoes and toffees in the Chief Minister's diet violated court orders.
"Diet chart has mangoes and sweets on it... it has been placed before the court. (Mr Kejriwal) is regularly consuming foods not permitted for any diabetic patient," the agency's lawyer had said.
In his argument Mr Kejriwal slammed the ED for its remarks. "It is shocking that ED (believes) a person would deliberately cause such alarming hikes in sugar level and risk his life - for getting medical bail."
Why Was Arvind Kejriwal Arrested?
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam in the national capital. The probe agency believes the Chief Minister played a key role in drafting the now-scrapped policy and seeking bribes, or kickbacks, in return for liquor licences.
The AAP and Mr Kejriwal have refused all charges and called the arrest and case "political vendetta", coming as it did, weeks before the Lok Sabha election.
READ | Kejriwal To Stay In Jail For Now, Supreme Court Refuses Early Hearing
Mr Kejriwal has challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court. However, the top court has refused an early hearing. He must now wait till April 29, when the court reconvenes to hear the ED's reply.
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