New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sought a seven-day extension of his interim bail from the Supreme Court to undergo several medical tests, notably including a PET-CT scan. Kejriwal's concern arises from "sudden and unexplained weight loss, coupled with high ketone levels," which could indicate serious health issues such as kidney problems, cardiac ailments, or even cancer. 

“My weight has fallen a lot. If a person's weight falls by 7 kg in a month without any reason, then it is a very serious problem. So the doctors have prescribed several tests. I have asked for 7 days so that I can get all my tests done within a week. There could be some serious disease going on inside...The doctors said that if all the tests are done then at least we will know whether some serious disease is going on inside or not”, said Kejriwal while speaking to reporters in Punjab's Bhatinda. 

Earlier on May 10, the Supreme Court had granted 21-day interim bail to the Chief Minister, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy 'scam', to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed that Kejriwal shall surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll gets over.

What Does The Fresh Plea Say?

The fresh plea, which is likely to be taken up in the coming days by a vacation bench, said during the incarceration from March 21 to May 10, the chief minister suffered a lot of health-related complications which are also "partly attributable to the negligent and callous behaviour of the jail authorities".

Kejriwal lost around six to seven kg of weight in the jail and has not been able to regain even after his release and renewing his earlier lifestyle to the extent possible, it said.

"In the meantime, recent test reports confirm that the Appellant has also developed an unusually high blood glucose level as well as high ketone levels in urine, which indicate that in addition to increased blood sugar level, the appellant may have also developed kidney related complications and kidney damage," it said.

Referring to his recent health check up at his residence by a senior physician of a private hospital, the plea said the doctor took note of Kejriwal's health complications and increased risk indicators and prescribed a host of full body tests, which are necessary to be carried out before he surrenders.

"It is important to note that unexplained weight loss which a person is not able to regain along with the other symptoms ..., can have a host of causes, including some potentially life threatening ones.

"It is on account of this that a senior physician from Max Hospital upon a detailed clinical examination of the appellant at his home on May 25, 2024 has directed a host of tests including but not limited to tests such as whole body PET-CT to rule out any malignancies and Holter Monitor Test, where the appellant will be required to wear a Holter monitor for a few days while going about his daily activities to identify any irregularities in his heart functioning," the plea said.

The PET-CT scan shows detailed pictures of organs and tissues.

These tests are to be done in a particular sequence and would require about five-seven days, it said, adding "sudden and unexplained weight loss, coupled with high ketone levels could be indicative of kidney damage, serious cardiac ailments and even cancer".

Early detection of these ailments is essential for preventing further progress of the disease and associated life risk and Kejriwal needed to undergo these tests, otherwise his life is at "high risk", it said.