‘He doesn’t seem ashamed’: SC on bail plea of Arvind Kejriwal’s aide in assault case
The Delhi chief minister’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, has been accused of assaulting Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal, on May 13.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar did not seem ashamed of allegations that he assaulted Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal, Bar and Bench reported.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan made these remarks while issuing notices on Kumar’s bail petition. The court said that it would require time to review the chargesheet.
Kumar was arrested on May 18, following which he was remanded to judicial custody on May 24.
He has been charged with assault or the use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe, criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing hurt and using words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman. The alleged assault took place on May 13.
According to the first information report, Kumar hit Maliwal in her chest, stomach and pelvic area. The Rajya Sabha MP also claimed that she was threatened by Kumar if she filed a police complaint.
“You are right, we grant bail to murderers and killers,” the bench on Thursday told Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Kumar. “But here, look at the FIR. She is crying because of her physical condition. Did you have authority? If this kind of person cannot influence witnesses, then who can?…He doesn’t seem ashamed, we think.”
To this, Singhvi said that these were the allegations in the first information report which was registered three days later and that they were a matter of trial, reported The Indian Express.
The bench said the fact that Maliwal had called the emergency number immediately after the incident belies Kumar’s claims that she subsequently made up the allegations.
“You are saying as if some goon has gone inside the house, and you want to protect,” the bench said.
A trial court had rejected Kumar’s bail plea first on May 27 and then on June 7.
On July 12, the Delhi High Court also denied him bail observing that though Kumar is only the personal secretary to the chief minister, he would still wield considerable power and may influence witnesses.
