'Bibhav Kumar, CM Kejriwal were together at crime scene': Delhi Police charge sheet in Swati Maliwal assault case
Bibhav Kumar, who is in judicial custody, is accused of assaulting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal on May 13 at the chief minister's residence.
The Delhi Police has said in its charge sheet that they are investigating a "larger conspiracy" behind the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by Bibhav Kumar, an aide of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. According to the charge sheet filed in a city court on July 16, and acknowledged on July 30, Kumar and Kejriwal were reportedly together at the Chief Minister's residence "for a significant period of time" following the alleged assault.
Bibhav Kumar, who is currently in judicial custody, faces several charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including attempts to commit culpable homicide and criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman.
Maliwal, in her supplementary statement recorded after a bail hearing on July 10, claimed that the unified support from AAP leaders for Bibhav Kumar indicates a larger conspiracy.
Read: SC questions Kejriwal aide Bibhav Kumar’s conduct in Swati Maliwal case
The charge sheet, which includes statements from around 50 witnesses and spans approximately 500 pages, also mentions that "selective footages" of CCTV cameras were leaked to the media before the recording devices could be seized, suggesting a potential conspiracy.
"Investigation has brought out the fact that the accused and the CM were together at the scene of crime i.e, the CM, Delhi residence, immediately after the commission of the crime for a significant period of time and, as such, the contrarian public stands taken by responsible public servants in the following days, also needs to be examined in its correct perspective to decipher if there was a larger conspiracy behind the brutal assault on the complainant/victim at the hands of the accused," it said.
"It is also relevant to mention here that accused Bibhav Kumar, as brought out by the investigation carried out so far, appears to be a repeat offender since he has previously been involved in a similar case (registered in 2007) under IPC sections 353, 506 and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace)," the final report said.
Following an FIR filed on May 16, Kumar was arrested on May 18 and has since been in custody. His bail plea was rejected by the Delhi High Court, which cited his considerable influence and potential to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police to file a response by August 21 regarding Kumar's bail plea. The top court had earlier come down heavily on Kumar saying "Is this kind of goon supposed to work in the CM's residence?"
With PTI inputs