The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a bail plea by Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in the Swati Maliwal alleged assault case. The bench of Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta refused bail, citing concerns that Kumar could influence witnesses.
During the hearing on July 10, 2024, Swati Maliwal was present in court and stated, “Not only was I brutally assaulted by the PA, but later the Chief Minister himself came to the street to protect him. Many press conferences were held by Delhi Ministers making malicious allegations against me. I was shamed…”
“My life and those of my family are under threat. I went for a medical exam in a relative’s car, and even that car’s details were made public. Please give me justice,” Maliwal pleaded. Senior advocate Sanjay Jain, representing the Delhi Police, strongly opposed Bibhav Kumar’s bail plea and submitted that they will file the chargesheet in the case on July 16.
However, Senior Advocate N Hariharan representing Bibhav submitted, “This is my 54th day in custody, including eight days remand period. This will amount to a pre-arrest trial. The incident is of May 13, 2024. The FIR was registered on May 16. As per the case, Swati chose to go to the Police Station on May 13, however, he didn’t register any FIR.”
