Swati Maliwal case: Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar sent to 14 days judicial custody

A Delhi court on Friday sent chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar to 14 days judicial custody in the Swati Maliwal alleged assault case.

Kumar was produced before Delhi’s Tis Hazari court after his three-day police custody ended. His counsel Rajat Bharadwaj opposed the Delhi Police’s petition seeking 14 days of police custody.

“I am not going to interfere with the investigation….I had myself prayed to preserve the CCTV footage. I am myself trying to preserve the same so why would I tamper with evidence,” Kumar said.

“All the witnesses are government employees and I am not in any position to induce or threaten them and I have myself volunteered to appear before the agency to join the probe and I am not a flight risk,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, the Delhi high court had reserved the order on the issue of maintainability of a plea by Kumar challenging his arrest. In his plea, Bibhav Kumar has sought a direction to declare his arrest as illegal and in gross violation of the provisions of Section 41A (notice of appearance before police officer) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and against the mandate of the law.

Bibhav Kumar was arrested on May 18 days after Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal accused him of assaulting her at Kejriwal’s residence on May 13.

Maliwal, in her complaint, alleged that Bibhav “slapped” her “at least seven to eight times” while she “continued screaming” and “brutally dragged” her while “kicking” her in her “chest, stomach and pelvis area.”

The FIR against Kumar was registered on May 16 under various Indian Penal Code provisions, including for criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe her and attempt to commit culpable homicide.

Prior to his arrest, Bibhav Kumar had lodged a counter-complaint with the police, accusing Maliwal of gaining ‘unauthorised entry’ into the CM’s Civil Lines residence and ‘verbally abusing’ him.