Swati Maliwal assault case: Court sends Kejriwal aide Bibhav Kumar to 14 days judicial custody

In a significant development, a court in New Delhi on Friday remanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar, who has been accused of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, in judicial custody for 14 days.

Kumar stands accused of assaulting Swati Maliwal at the chief minister's official residence on May 13.

Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal granted the Delhi Police's request for judicial custody following the expiration of Kumar's three-day police custody.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court is deliberating on the admissibility of Kumar's plea contesting his arrest.

Earlier this week, Kumar's bail plea was rejected by a sessions court. The court noted that Maliwal's FIR seemed spontaneous, with no evidence of premeditation, and underscored the seriousness of the allegations against Kumar.

Kumar was apprehended on May 18 and initially remanded to five-day police custody by a magisterial court, which deemed his anticipatory bail moot due to his arrest. Subsequently, he was placed in four-day judicial custody last Friday.

The FIR against Kumar, lodged on May 16, encompasses various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those pertaining to criminal intimidation, assault on a woman with intent to disrobe, and attempted culpable homicide.