The Delhi High Court on Friday requested a response from Delhi Police regarding the bail plea filed by Bhibhav Kumar, a close aide of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with the alleged assault case involving Swati Maliwal.
Bhibhav Kumar Case Overview:
A vacation bench comprising Justice Amit Sharma issued a notice on Kumar’s bail plea and instructed the Delhi Police to present the status of their investigation in a detailed report.
Senior Advocate N Hariharan represented Kumar, while Senior Advocate Sanjay Jain appeared for the Delhi Police.
The trial court previously denied Kumar’s bail plea on 27 May, and the sessions court rejected his second regular bail application on 7 June.
Advocates Karan Sharma and Rajat Bharadwaj have filed the current plea.
In his plea, Kumar argued that the case exemplifies an abuse of criminal justice mechanisms and a biased investigation.
He claimed that both he and Maliwal had lodged complaints against each other, yet only the case against him is under active investigation.
Kumar suggested this bias stems from Maliwal’s influence as a Member of Parliament.
He also contended that there has been no investigation into his complaint against Maliwal for breach of conduct.
Kumar’s plea argued that the Additional Sessions Judge overlooked crucial facts: all evidence related to the FIR has been gathered by the Investigating Officer, and witness statements have been recorded. Therefore, the plea contended, his custody is unnecessary, and keeping him in judicial custody serves no purpose. The plea also claimed Kumar faced threats of false accusations and characterized Maliwal’s FIR as part of a “nefarious design.”
Recently, Kumar filed a plea challenging his arrest in the case, with Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma reserving the order on this plea.
On 18 May, authorities arrested Kumar following Swati Maliwal’s written complaint, alleging that he assaulted her during her visit to Kejriwal’s residence on 13 May.
The Delhi Police have accused Kumar of being uncooperative during the investigation, providing evasive answers, and deliberately withholding the password to his mobile phone, which they consider crucial for uncovering the truth.
