Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, appeared before a magisterial court here on Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. Kumar was arrested by the Delhi Police earlier that day, and his anticipatory bail plea was later deemed “infructuous” by a Delhi court. Kumar was subsequently brought before Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal.
Police, through their counsel, have requested seven days in custody to question him in connection with the assault case. Kumar, Kejriwal’s personal assistant, is accused of assaulting Maliwal at the chief minister’s residence on May 13. Police told the court that Kumar’s detention was necessary for questioning him about the reason for the assault.
They claimed Kumar did not provide the investigating agency with his mobile phone password and informed them that his phone had been formatted in Mumbai due to a malfunction. Police said that before being formatted, a mobile phone’s data must be cloned, and Kumar had to be taken to Mumbai to retrieve the data. They also stated that the accused’s presence was required in order for an expert to open his mobile phone.
Countering the arguments, Kumar’s counsel Rajiv Mohan stated that there was no record of Maliwal’s visit to the CM’s residence prior to May 13, and she did not explain why the FIR was only registered on May 16.
The FIR was filed with the Civil Lines police station. He claimed that Maliwal went to the CM’s residence without an appointment and that the Delhi Police was distorting the facts. The advocate stated that Maliwal did not seek medical attention after calling the emergency helpline number 112, nor did the station house officer prepare a medical sheet after meeting her.
Mohan accused Maliwal of politicising the issue of injuries and making media statements. He said that Kumar’s mobile-phone was not required for investigation as Maliwal had nowhere alleged about threatening on phone or WhatsApp calls.