Swati Maliwal assault case: 50 witnesses in chargesheet against Bibhav
What's the story
The Delhi Police submitted a 500-page chargesheet against Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, at Tis Hazari court on Tuesday. The chargesheet was presented before Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal, who extended Kumar's judicial custody until July 30. It includes statements from 50 people who have been listed as witnesses. Kumar is accused of assaulting Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the chief minister's residence on May 13.
Court order
Court orders physical presence of Kumar on July 30
The court has ordered the police to ensure Kumar's physical presence on July 30, when a decision will be made regarding taking cognizance of the chargesheet. Multiple charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code 1860 have been levied against Kumar. These include assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe a woman, criminal intimidation, insult to a woman's modesty, attempt to commit culpable homicide, and causing destruction of evidence or providing false information.
Charges detailed
Chargesheet includes statements from witnesses
The chargesheet includes statements from Maliwal, Kumar himself, the CM's security staff and other people. The allegations against Kumar include destroying evidence by formatting his phone, refusing to share his phone's password, cloning his phone, transferring data to another device and tampering with CCTV footage from the chief minister's residence and his own house. Kumar was arrested on May 18 following a complaint by Maliwal alleging assault.
Bail denied
Kumar's bail pleas denied due to serious allegations
Kumar's bail pleas have been denied multiple times by the court, including on May 27, June 7, and July 12. The court cited the serious nature of the allegations against him and his potential to influence witnesses in the case as reasons for denial. During the last bail hearing, Kumar claimed that the allegations were false and his custody was no longer required as the investigation was over.