The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): A Delhi city court dismissed the bail plea of Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is accused of assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM’s residence. Following this development, the AAP announced that Kumar will approach the High Court.
Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal rejected Kumar’s bail plea after hearing arguments from both sides. A detailed order on the matter is awaited.
During the court proceedings, Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal expressed concerns for her safety, claiming that she and her family faced grave danger if Kumar were released. She mentioned that a one-sided video about the incident, made by a YouTuber, had led to her receiving threats.
Two videos from the CM’s residence on the day of the incident, May 13, have surfaced on social media. One video shows Maliwal arguing with security personnel, while the other shows her walking out of the CM’s residence in the Civil Lines area.
Maliwal’s advocate highlighted that despite Kumar being in jail, Maliwal continued to receive threats. He questioned Kumar’s innocence, alleging that Kumar had formatted his phone and deleted CCTV footage of the incident.
Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava stated that Maliwal did not trespass at the CM’s residence and emphasized that Kumar was an influential person despite his service termination.
Kumar’s counsel argued for bail, asserting that Kumar met the triple test for bail: he was not a flight risk, was unlikely to tamper with evidence, and would not influence witnesses. The counsel also noted that Kumar had cooperated with the police and that the FIR was filed three days after the incident, suggesting it was an afterthought.
Kumar was sent to four days of judicial custody on Saturday and is expected to be produced in court on Tuesday. His anticipatory bail plea, filed on May 18, was deemed infructuous by the court following his arrest.