Swati Maliwal assault: SC grills Kejriwal aide Bibhav Kumar, asks if 'goon' entered CM's home
New Delhi (PTI): “Is this kind of goon supposed to work in the CM’s residence,” the Supreme Court asked on Thursday as it came down heavily on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar who allegedly assaulted AAP MP Swati Maliwal earlier this year.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan posted Kumar’s bail plea for next Wednesday and told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi that the court was shocked with the details of the incident recorded by the Delhi High Court.
Kumar has challenged the July 12 order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail in the case and claimed the allegations against him are false. He has also said his custody was no longer required as the probe was over. The apex notice issued notice to the Delhi government on his plea.
"Is CM residence a private bungalow? Is this kind of 'goon' supposed to work in the CM’s residence?" the bench asked Singhvi, who said there were non-serious injuries and the FIR was lodged after three days of the incident on May 13.
In its scathing remarks, the bench also asked Singhvi what Maliwal, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP, calling the police helpline during the assault incident indicated.
"Every day we grant bail to contract killers, murderers, robbers but the question is what kind of incident…,” the bench said, while asserting that the manner in which the incident had taken place bothered it.
The bench said, "He (Bibhav Kumar) acted as if some 'goon' had entered the official residence of CM."
"We are shocked? Is this a way to deal with a young lady? He (Bibhav Kumar) assaulted her even after she told about her physical conditions," it said in its scathing remarks.
Kumar has challenged the July 12 order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail in the case and claimed the allegations against him are false. He has also said his custody was no longer required as the probe was over.
Kumar, a political secretary to Kejriwal, has been in judicial custody for the past 75 days, Singhvi told the bench.
He allegedly assaulted Maliwal on May 13 at Kejriwal's official residence.
An FIR was registered against Kumar on May 16 under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to criminal intimidation, assault or using criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe, and attempt to commit culpable homicide. He was arrested on May 18.
While denying him bail, the high court had said that the accused enjoys "considerable influence" and no ground was made out to grant him the relief. It cannot be ruled out that witnesses may be influenced or evidence tampered with in case the petitioner is released on bail, the high court had said.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
