Swati Maliwal assault case: Court takes cognisance of charge sheet filed against Kejriwal aide

Bhibav Kumar was arrested in Swati Maliwal assault case on May 18. Pic/PTI

A court on Tuesday took cognisance of the 500-odd page charge sheet against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar in the alleged assault of AAP MP Swati Maliwal.

Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal took cognisance of the final report and posted the matter for scrutiny of documents on August 24.

The court also directed that a copy of the charge sheet be supplied to Kumar, who is accused of assaulting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal on May 13 here at the chief minister's official residence.

The city police had filed the charge sheet on July 16.

The prosecution had earlier informed the court that the charge sheet runs into around 500 pages and it also has the statements of about 50 witnesses.

It had said the final report has been filed under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354 B (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to disrobe her), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insult caused to the modesty of a woman by the use of any words, gestures or object intending to the do the same).

The charge sheet also has annexed as evidence the digital video recorder (DVR) and network video recorder (NVR) from the official residence of Kejriwal along with Kumar's mobile phone and sim card, court sources had said.

After the FIR was registered on May 16 at the Civil Lines Police Station, Kumar was arrested on May 18. The same day, he was sent to police custody for five days by a magisterial court, which observed that his anticipatory bail plea had become infructuous because of his arrest.

On May 24, he was sent to four days of judicial custody, following which he was again remanded to police custody for three days.

A team led by a female additional DCP-level officer is investigating the case.

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