Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's diabetic status has become a bone of contention between him and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The agency informed the court here on Thursday that Kejriwal, arrested in an excise scam case, is eating food high in sugar like mangoes and sweets every day to create grounds for medical bail. But his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has expressed concern over his fluctuating blood sugar levels and weight loss.

"Kejriwal is eating high sugar content food despite having type 2 diabetes. He is consuming 'aloo poori', mango, sweets, daily. This is being done to make grounds for medical bail," the ED told the court.

The ED made the claim before special judge for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED cases, Kaveri Baweja, who directed the Tihar jail authorities to file a report in the matter, including Kejriwal's diet chart.

"Today, he (Kejriwal) is in court custody. He is in custody because of our case. The cause of concern is he was allowed prescribed home cooked food because he claimed he has high diabetes. But he is having mangoes, sweets and sugar with tea.

This is being done to create a medical emergency, to obtain sympathetic treatment from the court of law on medical grounds," ED counsel Zoheb Hossain submitted before the court.

Hossain said the details came to be known after the agency wrote to Tihar jail and sought information about Kejriwal's diet and the medicines being taken by him.

The ED counsel said medical doctors are posted in jail round-the-clock, who are measuring blood sugar levels of Kejriwal twice a day.

According to the ED, the jail authorities on 17.04.2024 have already asked AIIMS to prescribe medical diet after considering his blood sugar data and the fact that he is a case of diabetes mellitus type II with chronic constipation with chronic cough (chronic bronchitis) and is under regular treatment.

Kejriwal, meanwhile, withdrew his application from the court seeking virtual consultation with his doctor thrice a week for monitoring his blood sugar level and other vitals, claiming that his sugar levels were fluctuating.

Kejriwal's legal team has, however, insisted that all food items on the Chief Minister's diet chart had been prescribed by his doctor. His lawyer accused the ED of cooking up excuses to stop the supply of home-cooked food, which was permitted by the court in view of the AAP leader's diabetes.

He said the investigating agency is making these allegations only for the media. Jain also said he is withdrawing the present application and that he will file a better one.

"He is only eating what is prescribed by doctors. The ED is trying to stop supply of home-cooked food. This concerns the health of the Chief Minister..." Vivek Jain, the AAP leader's lawyer, said after the court proceeding.

Earlier, Kejriwal who had asked the court to allow home-cooked food to him, had moved the court seeking permission to consult his regular doctor via video conference thrice a week for monitoring because of fluctuating sugar levels and other vitals, has withdrawn the application after ED submitted in the court that Kejriwal had been deliberately having large quantity of unsuitable food to cause a spike in his blood sugar levels.

The high glycaemic index diet taken by Kejriwal since 02.04.2024 includes four eggs, two bananas and sweetened tea apart from namkeen bhujiya, etc in breakfast on a regular basis.  Rice, potatoes, tea and fruits including mango for lunch on a regular basis and bananas, sweets, rice, aloo subzi and namkeen on a regular basis.

The court, meanwhile, sent Chanpreet Singh, who allegedly managed the Aam Aadmi Party's funds in the 2022 Goa Assembly elections, to judicial custody till April 23 after he was produced before the court on expiry of his ED custody.

The ED has alleged a large part of the Rs 100 crore the AAP received as kickbacks from the South Group was used for the Goa State polls.

The judge also extended till April 26 the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam. The judge extended Sisodia's custody after he was produced before the court through a video conference.

Sisodia's co-accused and party colleague, Sanjay Singh, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the case, also appeared before the court through video conference.  Sisodia's judicial custody in the corruption case lodged by the CBI in the alleged scam also expires on April 26.