Swati Maliwal Case: Delhi Police Seeks 7-Day Custody Of CM Kejriwal's Aide Bibhav Kumar, Order Reserved

The Delhi Police informed the court that Kumar's custody was necessary to investigate the motive behind the assault on Maliwal. They accused Kumar of destroying evidence at the CM's residence. 

CM Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar being taken to custody by Delhi Police on Saturday.

Source : PTI Images

Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was produced in court on Saturday. The Delhi Police sought seven-day custody to question Kumar about the assault allegations levelled by Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal and his alleged attempts to destroy evidence. Tis Hazari Court in Delhi has reserved order on the police custody, news agency ANI reported.

The Delhi Police informed the court that Kumar's custody was necessary to investigate the motive behind the assault on Maliwal. They accused Kumar of destroying evidence at the CM's residence, according to news agency PTI. Kumar's counsel told the court that Maliwal went to CM's residence on her own, and she did not inform anyone about purpose of the visit. 

In response to the Delhi Police's custody request, Bibhav Kumar's layer Mudit Jain told PTI, "We have opposed the demand for remand. The court will release its order in some time. We have mentioned that there is no basis for a case as they have complained after three days."

Kumar was arrested today from the Chief Minister's residence. 

On Friday, a Delhi Police team, accompanied by forensic experts, visited CM Kejriwal's Civil Lines residence to collect evidence related to the alleged assault. The team, led by Additional DCP (North) Anjitha Chepyala, included three other officers and five forensic experts. They arrived around 4:45 PM and stayed until late evening. 

Maliwal was taken to the CM's residence to recreate the crime scene and sequence of events. The police collected footage from eight CCTV cameras at the residence and recorded statements from security personnel present during the incident. 

The allegations stem from an incident on Monday when Maliwal claimed she was assaulted by Kumar at Kejriwal's residence. Based on her complaint, Kumar was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 345B (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (insult to modesty of a woman). 

Following the filing of the FIR on Thursday, Maliwal underwent a medical examination at AIIMS Delhi around midnight. She later recorded her statement before a magistrate at Tis Hazari court on Friday morning. 

A video surfaced online showing Maliwal at the CM's residence, sitting on a sofa while guards attempted to persuade her to leave. In the vide, she instead on calling the police. They police stated they were verifying the authenticity of the video.