A Delhi court denied chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's request for consultation with a private doctor through video conferencing, agreeing with the Tihar Jail authorities that he cannot be treated differently from other inmates and that the laws and jail manual must apply equally to all. “The request for private treatment can be permitted only if the jail authorities are unable to provide the requisite medical facilities,” it said in order.
It also refused to accept Kejriwal’s plea for insulin, observing that a person suffering from hyperglycaemia cannot be administered insulin on the basis of his request. It ordered constitution of a medical board by director, AIIMS, for the chief minister’s treatment in jail.
The board will have to submit its report to the court of special judge Kaveri Baweja at the earliest specifying whether there is any requirement for administering insulin to Kejriwal at this juncture. If there is a need for any medical intervention by any specialist in future, the decision will be taken by the jail authorities in consultation with the medical board, which will have a senior endocrinologist and diabetologist.
Kejriwal, through his counsels – senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and senior advocate Ramesh Gupta – had submitted before the court that denial of insulin by the jail authorities despite his repeated requests was a violation of his fundamental right to health and also a case of grave medical negligence.
The court, however, pointed out that “from the response of ED and the jail authorities, it has also emerged that the applicant has never requested for administering of insulin to him. Rather, he is stated to have been off insulin since February,” said the court.
