New Delhi. A Delhi sessions court on Friday rejected the bail plea of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in the alleged assault case of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and MP Swati Maliwal, saying that “serious” allegations have been leveled against him and there is a possibility of him influencing witnesses. Kumar is accused of assaulting AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister’s official residence on May 13. He was sent to 14-day judicial custody last Friday. Kumar had approached the court for bail for the second time. His first bail plea was rejected on May 27.
Special Judge Ekta Gauba Mann said, “The investigation is still in the initial stage and the victim has apprehensions about her safety as well as the safety of her family members as they are constantly receiving threats. There is also a fear that if the petitioner/accused Bibhav Kumar is released, he may influence the witnesses.” The judge dismissed the plea and said, “Therefore, I do not find any merit in the present bail plea.”
The court said Kumar allegedly misbehaved with a woman member of the Aam Aadmi Party at Kejriwal’s official residence where party members and the general public can meet the chief minister. “This creates fear and anxiety in the minds of the general public about meeting their leader. Serious allegations have been levelled against the accused Bibhav Kumar,” it said. Kumar’s counsel said almost 21 days have passed since Kumar’s arrest and there is no need to question him in custody. He said Kumar is not an influential person as he is only a private secretary in the rank of a clerk.
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The lawyer said that though his service was terminated a month before the alleged incident, Kumar continued to be the private secretary in “personal capacity”. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava said Kumar was a “very influential” person and investigation revealed that no register was maintained to record the names of people who came to meet Kejriwal and the general public and even MLAs had to first seek an appointment from Kumar to meet the chief minister.
