Swati Maliwal had alleged that Bibhav Kumar assaulted her at the CM’s official residence. (PTI)
Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide, Bibhav Kumar, in the case regarding the assault on Swati Maliwal.
In a cryptic post on social media platform X, hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar was granted bail by the Supreme Court, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Tuesday shared a photo of Draupadi’s disrobing (vastraharana).
Kumar was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Monday, in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal.
The court noted that Kumar had been in custody for 100 days (arrested since May 18) and a chargesheet had already been filed in the case.
Draupadi’s disrobing
Draupadi, also referred to as Krishna, Panchali, and Yajnaseni, is the main female protagonist of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, and the wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva.
The most notable incident in Draupadi’s life was the game of dice at Hastinapura where Yudhishthira lost all his possessions, and she was humiliated by the Kaurava brothers and Karna. An attempt was made by Dushasana to disrobe her, but she was saved by the divine intervention of Krishna.
SWATI MALIWAL ASSAULT
Kumar, the personal assistant to Kejriwal, allegedly assaulted Maliwal at the Chief Minister’s official residence on May 13, this year.
“I was slapped, unprovoked, seven to eight times by Bibhav Kumar. I was kicked on my stomach and pelvic region,” the former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief, Swati Maliwal, had alleged in her complaint.
Supreme Court stated that the trial court shall endeavour to finish the examination of “important and vulnerable witnesses first within three months”.
Kumar was granted bail under the condition that he shall not be restored as the Personal Secretary to Kejriwal or the political office associated with the Chief Minister’s office. The top court also directed that Kumar shall not enter the Chief Minister’s residence till all witnesses are examined.
The First Information Report (FIR) filed against Kumar included charges under Sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
