New Delhi: High drama unfolded in a court here on Saturday as it gave an urgent hearing to Arvind Kejriwal's Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar's anticipatory bail plea with a public prosecutor informing it that the Delhi Chief Minister's aide has been arrested in the Swati Maliwal assault case.
Additional Sessions Judge Sushil Anuj Tyagi in Tis Hazari court, who had completed the hearing by 4.40 pm, said he was informed at 4.45 pm that the applicant had been arrested at 4.15 pm and therefore disposed of his petition as infructuous. Hours before his arrest, Kumar had applied for an urgent hearing of his anticipatory bail plea which was permitted by the principal districts and sessions judge and was marked to Judge Tyagi.
After hearing the arguments by Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) A B Asthana and Kumar's counsel from 3:55 pm to 4:40 pm, the judge said, "At this stage, at about 4:45 pm, APP Atul Srivastava appeared through video conferencing and informed the court that the applicant has already been arrested."
"On court query, the additional public prosecutor for the state submitted that the applicant was arrested at about 4:15 pm," he added.
Objecting to the additional public prosecutor's submissions, Kumar's counsel Rajiv Mohan claimed that they were not informed about the arrest. The court, however, said that according to Srivastava, Kumar's wife was "duly informed" about the arrest. "Since the applicant (Kumar) has already been arrested, the present application is disposed of being infructuous," the court said.
Here are key developments that took place in this big story on Saturday:
- 10.55 PM - Part of the video was edited: Maliwal in fresh statement
In a fresh statement, Swati Maliwal has again alleged that Bibhav slapped and kicked her, and when she freed herself to call the police, he asked the security personnel to record the video. "First Bibhav beat me brutally. He slapped and kicked me. When I freed myself and called 112, he went outside and called the security and started making a video. I was screaming and telling the security that Bibhav had beaten me brutally. That entire long part of the video was edited. Only 50 seconds were released when I was fed up of explaining to the security guys. Now they formatted the phone and deleted the entire video? CCTV footage is also missing! Even conspiracy has its limits!" she posted on X late Saturday evening. - 8.35 PM - Kejriwal's PA taken to hospital for medical checkup
Visuals of arrested Bibhav Kumar being taken to Aruna Asaf Ali Govt Hospital for medical examination by Delhi Police on Saturday evening. - 7.55 PM - 'This is injustice, BJP Govt can do whatever it wants': Bibhav Kumar's father
Bibhav Kumar's father Maheshwar Rai reacts on the arrest of his son: "This is injustice. My son is a simple man...There is BJP Government in power, it can do whatever it wants...They are telling him to abandon Arvind Kejriwal, then he will not be harmed. But he has been with Kejriwal for the last 15 years, but I have never heard any complaint against him...I spoke with him over phone, he told me that he was having his breakfast and she (Swati Maliwal) came to do something big. Guards stopped her and he went there. Guards removed her from there. He didn't touch her even once. He only told her that he won't let her meet Kejriwal without asking him. Hearing this, she got angry and threatened him..." - 6.30 PM - 'Matter of surprise that Bibhav was found inside CM's residence,' says BJP's Shazia Ilmi
"It has taken far too long for Bibhav to get arrested...It is not a matter of surprise that he was found inside the premises of CM's residence...He(Bibhav) was enjoying the protection of Kejriwal...It is Kejriwal who ordered Bibhav to beat up Swati Maliwal...He(Arvind Kejriwal) is directly responsible for this assault," said BJP leader Shazia Ilmi, following the arrest of Bibhav Kumar. - 5.48 PM - Raghav Chadha and Atishi will also be arrested: Kejriwal
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference in the national capital on Saturday, said as his PA was arrested today, other Aam Aadmi Party leaders like Raghav Chadha and Atishi would be next. "They put me in jail. They put Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Sanjay Singh in jail and today they put my PA in jail. They will also put Raghav Chadha, Saurabha Bhardwaj and Atishi in jail. You can see how they are after AAP...I would like to tell the Prime Minister - you are playing this 'jail ka khel'...Tomorrow, I am coming to the BJP HQ with all my top leaders, MLAs, MPs at 12 noon. You can put in jail whoever you want," Kejriwal said. Read More... - 5.20 PM - Bibhav Kumar's anticipatory bail plea turns infructuous after his arrest
Bibhav Kumar will be produced before the court today. Police will seek his custody. Police is also establishing what was the reason for him to reach the crime scene, that too a day after the victim recreated the crime scene and FSL seized CCTV DVR. Senior advocate N Hariharan, who was arguing for Bibhav Kumar's anticipatory bail before he was arrested, said he made a pitch for anticipatory bail because what is seen in the CCTV footage and coverage is not borne by the statement which is belated for a period of three days. However, later on, the bail application became infructuous after Public Prosecutor informed the court that Bibhav Kumar has been arrested at 4.15 PM. Earlier, the order was reserved. - 4.30 PM - Bibhav Kumar's lawyers move bail
Bibhav Kumar's lawyers have moved anticipatory bail before Additional Sessions Judge in Tis Hazari Court. During the hearing, his lawyers questioned why Bibhav would abuse and shout at Maliwal at Delhi Chief Minister's residence. The lawyers also said that Maliwal had not taken an appointment to meet Kejriwal and kept inquiring about Bibhav. - 3.20 PM - AAP 'anti-aurat party', resorting to victim-shaming, says BJP
The BJP on Saturday accused AAP of resorting to victim-shaming and victim-blaming in its brazen defence of Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Kejriwal is making efforts to protect Kumar as his aide is in a position to expose the chief minister's damaging "secrets". In a swipe at the party, Poonawalla told reporters that AAP is essentially an "anti-aurat party (anti-women party)" as he cited past allegations of mistreatment of women involving its leaders. - 3.10 PM - Bibhav Kumar arrested; AAP claims Maliwal 'blackmailed' by BJP
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on Swati Maliwal, even as the party claimed she was "blackmailed" by the BJP as she faces a corruption case. Kumar was picked up from the chief minister's residence by a Delhi Police team, a senior police officer said, a day after Maliwal recorded her statement before a magistrate at the Tis Hazari court - 2.00 PM - 'Swati Maliwal is Exposed': AAP leader Atishi
"We have given all the CCTV footage to the police. The video footage shown to you today proves that Swati Maliwal was lying that “my head was broken, I fell on the floor, my clothes were torn, I was unable to walk”. Today, through this video footage, her lie has been exposed. She deliberately did not file a police complaint on May 13 because she did not want to undergo medical examination at that time," AAP Leader Atishi claimed while briefing the media. - 1.00 PM - 'Delhi Police Under Political Pressure': AAP
AAP legal cell head Sanjeev Nasiar told PTI, “We mailed the police earlier that we wish to cooperate in the investigation. We requested that no politics should be done in this. However, I feel that the Delhi Police is under some political pressure. They have closed the doors and denied the entry of lawyers. We wish to go inside to see if Bibhav Kumar has been arrested and what are the next steps. As legal experts, we have the right to go inside (Civil Lines Police Station)." - 12.35 PM - Kejriwal's Close Aide Bibhav Kumar Detained
Former Personal Secretary of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar has been detained by Delhi Police in connection with the AAP MP Swati Maliwal assault case. Advocate Karan Sharma representing Bibhav Kumar said, "We've not received any information from the police yet. We've sent them an e-mail that we will cooperate in the investigation." Read More... - 12.30 PM- Delhi Police Reaches CM's Residence
A team of Delhi Police arrived at the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the AAP MP Swati Maliwal assault case. Additional DCP and ACP were also present. A team of Delhi Police accompanied by forensic experts on Friday also visited Kejriwal's residence and collected evidence in connection with the alleged assault on party MP Swati Maliwal, officials said. - 12.00 PM - Maliwal Has Injuries On Left Leg And Right Cheek: Medical Report
According to her medical report, Swati Maliwal has bruises over her left leg dorsal and right cheek. Maliwal's medical examination was conducted on Friday. According to her medico-legal certificate (MLC) from AIIMS, Maliwal has "bruises over proximal left leg dorsal aspect of approx size 3x2 cm and right cheek elbow below right eye of approx size 2x2 cm". - 11.00 AM- AAP Releases Video Of Maliwal Being Escorted Out Of CM's House By Security
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released two videos on Saturday showing Swati Maliwal being escorted out of CM Arvind Kejriwal's house by security staff. The voiced video says that the footage is recorded on May 13, the day when Maliwal reached CM's residence and accused that she was assaulted by Delhi CM's close aide Bibhav Kumar. - 10.30 AM - '... Because Swati Maliwal is Facing Charges in Illegal Recruitment Case': AAP Leader Atishi
Hitting back on allegations made by Swati Maliwal, AAP leader Atishi said, "BJP and the central government blackmail opposition leaders through their investigative agencies and bring them on their side. The same thing happened in the case of Swati Maliwal ji. ACB investigation is going on against her. BJP used her as a pawn during the elections. She was in touch with BJP leaders. If Delhi Police conducts an impartial investigation in this case, everything will become clear." - 10.00 AM - AAP's Credibility is not Zero, It is in Minus: BJP Chief JP Nadda
On AAP's allegation that "BJP sent Swati Maliwal to entrap CM Arvind Kejriwal", BJP national president JP Nadda said, "Aam Aadmi Party is a party built on the foundation of lies and its credibility is not zero, it is in minus. Today Arvind Kejriwal has been exposed in front of the people of the country and the people of Delhi, he has been exposed in every way... If this thing has been hatched by BJP then why were you moving the mic (during PC in Lucknow) from here to there? Why are you silent? What is stopping you? The culture of the Aam Aadmi Party shows that they call people to their homes and beat them up...We never spoke to her (Swati Maliwal), nor did anyone from our party speak to her. This is not how we function. We are very straightforward. Now their theft has been caught...He has no credibility, his party also has no credibility. They can stoop to any level, any allegation..." Read More... - 9.00 AM - Delhi Police Team Collects CCTV Footage of CM Kejriwal's Residence
A team of Delhi Police and the Forensic experts exited the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal late on Friday night. It is expected that the Delhi Police will return today for further investigation. They have collected CCTV footage from entry and exit points, which has been stored on a pen drive for detailed examination. - 8.00 AM - Matter of Great Shame: BJP leader Shazia Ilmi
BJP leader Shazia Ilmi on slammed AAP leader Atishi over her controversial remarks on Swati Maliwal ‘Assault’ case and said that it is a matter of great shame how Atishi is trashing and victim shaming Swati Maliwal. “It is a matter of great shame how Atishi Marlena is trashing and victim shaming Swati Maliwal, many years her senior in the party... Being a woman, instead of expressing sympathy for Swati, she is lying blatantly..." said Shazia Ilmi. - 7.00 AM - Kejriwal's Aide Bibhav Kumar Files Police Complaint Against Swati Maliwal
Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar on Friday filed a police complaint against AAP MP Swati Maliwal, alleging she breached the security of the CM's residence to gain unauthorised entry on May 13 and created a ruckus there, the party said. In his complaint filed via an e-mail to the Civil Lines Police Station SHO, Kumar said now she is trying to falsely implicate him by alleging that he assaulted her at the chief minister's residence when she had gone to meet Kejriwal. - 6.00 AM - CCTV Cameras Were Being Tampered With At CM's Residence: Swati Maliwal
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP has alleged that the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence were being tampered with. Taking to the microblogging site X on Friday evening, Swati Maliwal, the former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said, "I have received information that now these people are tampering with the CCTV of the house. Maliwal also tagged Delhi Police in her post.
