Today(on 16th July),Delhi Police have filed a detailed chargesheet against Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case. Kumar, a close aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been remanded to judicial custody until July 30, facing serious IPC charges including assault, intimidation, and offenses against women’s dignity.
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DELHI: Today(on 16th July), The Delhi Police filed a comprehensive chargesheet against Bibhav Kumar in the high-profile Swati Maliwal assault case. Kumar, a close aide to the jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was virtually produced before the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi, where he was sent to judicial custody until July 30.
Charges and Allegations
Bibhav Kumar faces a series of serious charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 354, 354B, 506, 509, 201, 308, and 341. These sections cover offenses ranging from attempt to commit culpable homicide, wrongful restraint, assaulting a woman with intent to disrobe her, threat/intimidation, to actions that degrade the dignity of a woman.
The comprehensive chargesheet draws upon testimonies from Swati Maliwal, the accused Bibhav Kumar, the Chief Minister’s security staff, and other involved parties. Maliwal’s statement before a Metropolitan Magistrate significantly contributes to the chargesheet’s extensive 250-page operative portion.
The chargesheet specifically accuses Kumar of destroying evidence by formatting his phone and refusing to disclose his phone’s password. According to the police, Kumar cloned his phone and transferred data to another device, complicating the forensic examination currently underway to retrieve the data. Kumar’s lawyers counter this by asserting that no agency has the authority to compel an individual to reveal their phone’s password.
Despite his services being officially terminated on April 19, 2020, Kumar allegedly continued working at the Chief Minister’s residence and office. He is also accused of tampering with CCTV footage from both the CM’s residence and his own house. The chargesheet notes that the footage from the room where Network Video Recorders (NVRs) are installed was conspicuously blank during the relevant period, suggesting possible evidence tampering. This led to the inclusion of Section 201 IPC (causing the disappearance of evidence) in the charges.
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The document outlines three potential reasons for the missing footage: deletion, prevention of footage capture, or a technical failure. Importantly, Kumar’s statement included in the chargesheet does not refute his presence in the room where the NVRs are housed.
Swati Maliwal has alleged that Kumar recorded the entire incident but selectively leaked portions of the video.
She asserts-
“I was assaulted and my reputation was deliberately damaged.”
This accusation further complicates the case, raising critical questions about evidence handling and procedural integrity.
The hearing on whether to take cognizance of the chargesheet is scheduled for July 30.
