Court sends Kejriwal aide Bibhav to 14 days judicial custody

A court here on Friday remanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar in judicial custody for 14 days, saying the investigation was still at a nascent stage and completing it would require time. Kumar, personal assistant to Kejriwal, allegedly assaulted AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the chief minister’s official residence on May 13.

“I feel that investigation is at nascent stage and would require time to complete the investigation. In view of the submissions made by both the parties and facts of the case, accused Bibhav Kumar be remanded to judicial custody for 14 days and be produced on June 14,” Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal said.

Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava submitted an application seeking judicial custody for Kumar for conducting a “proper investigation” and to prevent the accused from tampering with evidence or making any threat or inducement to the witnesses.

Karan Sharma, the counsel for Kumar, opposed the Delhi Police’s plea.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has reserved its order on the maintainability of Kumar’s plea challenging his arrest.

Earlier on Monday, Kumar’s bail plea was dismissed by a sessions court which said there appeared to be no “pre-meditation” by Maliwal in lodging the FIR and that her allegations could not be “swiped away”.

Kumar was arrested on May 18. He was sent to police custody for five days the same day by a magisterial court which observed that his anticipatory bail plea had become infructuous because of his arrest.

He was sent to four-day judicial custody last Friday.

The FIR against Kumar was registered on May 16 under various Indian Penal Code provisions, including for criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe her and attempt to commit culpable homicide.