Bibhav Kumar, a close aide to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, sought bail in Delhi’s Tis Hazari court on Monday in the case involving the alleged assault of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal. Kumar, who is the personal assistant to Kejriwal, has been accused of assaulting Maliwal at the CM’s residence on May 13.
Senior advocate N Hariharan, representing Kumar, argued that Maliwal visited the Chief Minister’s residence without an appointment and with the intention of creating trouble. Hariharan stated, “She went to the CM residence and called the PA. Bibhav Kumar was not present at the CM House, then she headed towards the CM residence. Maliwal did not say that the CM called her to visit his premises. What she did amounts to trespass.”
The defense further contended that Maliwal was informed to wait outside but allegedly forced her way in. “Can being an MP give you a license to do anything? She had some premeditated thoughts before coming,” added Hariharan, highlighting a statement from the security that implied Maliwal expected preferential treatment.
Kumar’s counsel also raised concerns about the three-day delay in filing the complaint and the timing of the medical-legal case (MLC) report. “The date of the MLC is on May 16. This incident allegedly took place on May 13. This is an unexplainable gap. We do not know the nature of the wounds. Are they recent? Are they three days old?” questioned Hariharan.
The defense suggested that Maliwal chose a location without CCTV coverage to later make allegations conveniently. “She knew there was no CCTV! She chose the location so she could conveniently make allegations later,” argued Kumar’s lawyer.
Kumar claimed he learned about the FIR from the media and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation. “Even after getting to know about this, I sent a letter saying I was willing to join the investigation and cooperate. I also informed them that even I made a complaint about the incident,” he said.
However, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Srivastava, representing the state, countered that Maliwal did not trespass as she was escorted by security inside the premises. “The CM camp office had no register where people who are taking appointments details are mentioned. If Swati was trespassing, why no 100 call was made? She is being escorted by the security themselves inside as per CCTV, then does it mean she barged in? Where is the question of trespass? This was implied permission,” he stated.
Kumar has been under police custody since Saturday, with Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal approving the prosecution’s request for his judicial custody for four days. The Delhi Police arrested Kumar on May 18 following the complaint.
