New Delhi [India] : The Tis Hazari Court in Delhi has sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's close aide, Bibhav Kumar, to five-day police custody after he was arrested in connection with AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's assault case.
Bibhav Kumar was produced before the court late on Saturday night. Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal remanded Bibhav Kumar to five-day police custody for questioning. He is scheduled to be produced before the court on May 23, after the expiration of his remand. Delhi Police had sought seven days of custody for Bibhav Kumar, who was produced before the court around 9.15 pm. He was arrested by Delhi police at 4.15 pm.
Delhi police have registered a case under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 354B (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Srivastava argued over the custody of Bibhav Kumar.
"He has been arrested today. The complainant is a public figure and an AAP MP," the APP submitted. "She was brutally beaten and attacked in sensitive parts," he added. "We asked for the DVR, which was provided on a pen drive. The footage was found to be blank," APP argued. APP submitted that an iPhone has been given to the police, but now the accused is not sharing the password and that the phone has been formatted.
APP Srivastava submitted that the accused was present even today at the place of the occurrence. "The accused has influence over the witnesses. In this case, footage was deleted, the phone was formatted, and the accused himself reached the place of occurrence," the APP submitted.
"The accused has not shared the password for his phone. He has to be taken to the expert to get the phone password. The phone has been formatted, and he has been taken to Mumbai, APP Srivastava added. "He was terminated from the service. It is a question of how he was able to reach the CM's residence," the APP submitted, adding that we have to find out whether he is connected to anti-social elements or not.
Defense counsel Rajiv Mohan argued and submitted that the incident occurred on May 13. There is a delay of three days. "Swati Maliwal visited the CM's residence camp office at 9 AM on May 13. There was neither permission nor any prior appointment," the defense counsel submitted. The defence counsel submitted that her visit to the CM house was on her own accord and there was no allure for her to visit the CM house.
