The Supreme Court has granted bail to Bibhav Kumar, the personal assistant to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with an assault case involving Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. The court, noting that the trial is likely to take time and that Kumar had already been in custody for over 100 days, decided that his release would not hinder the investigation, as the chargesheet had already been filed.
The incident reportedly took place on May 13, 2024, at the Chief Minister’s residence when Maliwal arrived to meet Kejriwal. While waiting, she alleges that Kumar entered the room unexpectedly, launched into a verbal tirade, and then physically assaulted her. According to the complaint, Kumar slapped her multiple times, dragged her across the room, and caused her to fall and hit her head on a table. Maliwal managed to escape and called the police, leading to the registration of an FIR against Kumar.
Initially, Kumar’s application for bail was rejected by the Delhi High Court, which expressed concerns over his potential to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence due to his position. However, the Supreme Court, taking into account the time he had already spent in custody and the completion of the investigation, decided to grant him bail.
