Bibhav Kumar, an aide of Arvind Kejriwal, cannot enter the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence till all witnesses are examined in the Swati Maliwal assault case, said the Supreme Court granting him bail on Monday.

A Rajya Sabha member, Ms Maliwal,39, has alleged that Bibhav Kumar assaulted her at the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13. 

The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also imposed certain conditions on Mr Kumar, saying he shall not be restored as Personal Secretary of Delhi Chief Minister or any political office associated with the Chief Minister’s office.

The top court further said that 43-year-old Kumar shall not enter the Chief Minister’s residence till all witnesses are examined.

Mr Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal’s aide since the India Against Corruption days, shall not make any public comment on the case which is sub judice before trial court, said the top court.

The court also took into account that Mr Kumar has been in custody for 100 days and chargesheet has already been filed in the case.

It also considered that there are more than 51 witnesses proposed by the prosecution for examination and the conclusion of the trial will take some time.

“Petitioner is in custody for 100 days. Chargesheet filed. Injuries are simple. It’s a case for bail, you should not oppose. You can’t keep a person in jail in such case,” said the top court to SV Raju, the lawyer representing Delhi police, who was opposing the grant of bail to Mr Kumar.

Mr Kumar had approached the top court challenging the Delhi High Court’s order denying him bail.

On July 12, High Court had dismissed Mr Kumar’s bail plea, saying he enjoys “considerable influence” and no ground to grant him the relief was made out.

The High Court had said that it cannot be ruled out that witnesses may be influenced or evidence tampered with in case Mr Kumar is released on bail.

On May 16, an FIR was registered against Mr Kumar 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.
 

New Delhi:

A court here on Saturday extended till June 22 the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar. Kumar is accused of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on May 13 at the chief minister’s official residence.

Kumar was produced through video conferencing before the duty metropolitan magistrate, who extended the custody and directed the Delhi Police to produce him on June 22.

Earlier on Friday, the court had extended Kumar’s custody by one day after noting that the investigating officer (IO) was not present.

Kumar was arrested on May 18. He was sent to police custody for five days the same day 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 judicial custody, following which he was again remanded in police custody for three days.

An FIR was registered against Kumar on May 16 under various Indian Penal Code provisions, including those related to criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe and attempt to commit culpable homicide.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, whose allegations of assault at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence have raised a political storm, told a Delhi court today that a bail relief for Mr Kejriwal’s long-term aide and main accused Bibhav Kumar would put her and her family in danger.

Ms Maliwal made the remarks during a hearing on a bail petition by Bibhav Kumar. The counsel for Bibhav Kumar has questioned the Delhi Police’s investigation into the case and said it is the AAP MP who should be probed for trespassing into the Chief Minister’s residence.

A Rajya Sabha member and former chief of Delhi Commission for Women, Ms Maliwal has alleged that Bibhav Kumar assaulted her at the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13. The AAP, which earlier said Mr Kejriwal aide’s “misbehaved” with Ms Maliwal and will face action, later alleged she was a part of a BJP conspiracy against Mr Kejriwal.

Bibhav Kumar’s counsel said they have filed a trespassing complaint against Ms Maliwal. “She directly entered the Chief Minister’s residence. This amounts to trespass. This is a Chief Minister’s home, can anyone come like this? She was asked to wait outside, but she barged and crossed the security zone. Being an MP gives you the licence to do anything. This is trespass, and the FIR is against us. What kind of investigation is this?”

Questioning who had asked her to visit the Chief Minister’s residence, Bibhav Kumar’s counsel said, “She came with something in her mind, she had premeditated thoughts before coming. She kept asking security personnel if they had spoken to Bibhav Kumar.”

When Ms Maliwal barged in, Bibhav Kumar asked the security personnel why she was allowed in, his counsel asked. “He has to ask, as he is answerable for the Chief Minister’s security. Security personnel then went inside and with all respect, she was escorted outside. She was walking out of the place normally. There was no hesitation seen,” the lawyer said.

Bibhav Kumar’s counsel also questioned the delay in Ms Maliwal filing a police complaint. “She did not file any complaint that day. She did it three days later. She was the DCW chief, she was well aware of her rights. If her rights were violated, she should have filed the complaint immediately. Why the delay of three days,” the lawyer said.

Bibhav Kumar’s counsel also questioned what the motive behind the alleged offences is. “Look at the place where the incident is happening, so many people are there. The protocol officer is there, the security officer is there and everyone knows that Swati Maliwal called Bibhav Kumar.”

The lawyer also questioned police’s decision to add the IPC section relating to an intent to disrobe a woman. “There was no intent to disrobe her. The only intent was to prevent her from entering the CM’s residence. The allegations levelled do not show that there was an intent to disrobe her. All that can be seen is that during the scuffle, her shirt was torn. It is an incidental situation that has happened.”

The entire FIR, Bibhav Kumar’s counsel said, is an “afterthought”. “I am only seeking bail. I am not seeking acquittal or discharge but bail. Everything was preplanned to suit the story.”

At one point during the hearing, Ms Maliwal started crying.

Opposing Bibhav Kumar’s request for bail, Delhi Police’s counsel said no intent is required in this case. “You are beating a lady alone without any provocation. She was dragged. You were beating a lady in such a manner that buttons opened… here intention is not required, what you are doing may outrage modesty and that has to be seen.”

The Delhi Police’s lawyer responded to Bibhav Kumar’s contention that Ms Maliwal went to the Chief Minister’s residence with a plan to malign his image. “She is a sitting MP. She has been DCW chairperson. The party chief (Kejriwal) has called her Lady Singham. Now they are saying she went to malign? Who is he? He is not a permanent government servant. He has already been terminated.”

Bibhav Kumar, who has been with Mr Kejriwal long before AAP came into being, had been serving as his personal secretary since 2015. In April, the vigilance department terminated his services, citing a 2007 case of obstructing a public servant from work. He approached the Central Administrative Tribunal, but did not get any relief.

“If Swati was trespassing, why no 100 call was made? I am being escorted by the security themselves inside, then does it mean I barged in? Where is the question of trespass?”

Delhi Police also questioned why the Chief Minister’s office did not file a trespassing complaint on May 13. “I am being given death threats and rape threats,” the lawyer said, quoting Ms Maliwal.

Addressing the court, Ms Maliwal said, “I was beaten badly. AAP leaders are saying I am an agent of BJP. AAP has a huge machinery of social media trolls. If this man comes out, it will be a huge death threat on me and my family.”

Targeting Mr Kejriwal, Ms Maliwal said, “The CM is roaming with the accused and taking him to Lucknow and other places. They have big machinery of trolls, all party leaders have been warned to stand against me. He’s (Bibhav Kumar) not an ordinary person, he gets the facilities even ministers don’t get. If he comes out, my life and my family’s life would be in grave danger.”

Shortly after Bibhav Kumar’s arrest, Mr Kejriwal led a protest march to the BJP headquarters today. He has said that his aide’s arrest was part of the BJP’s conspiracy to target AAP by sending its key leaders to jail. He has not commented directly on Ms Maliwal’s allegations.

The court has now reserved its judgment on the bail request till 4 pm. 

New Delhi:

Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has come out in support of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, who is locked in a face-off with her party over an incident in which she allegedly assaulted by a close aide of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. AAP responded that the Lieutenant Governor’s letter has proved that Ms Maliwal is “working for the BJP”. 

Mr Saxena, who has had frequent confrontations with the AAP government in the national capital over a host of issues, has said in a statement that he was “deeply distressed” over the unfolding media narrative on the issue.

“Yesterday, she (Ms Maliwal) called me out of sheer anguish, describing at length her traumatic experience, and the subsequent intimidation and shaming that she is being subjected to by her own colleagues. She also expressed concerns over reported tampering of evidence and coercion against her,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

“Although Ms. Maliwal has been vociferous, hostile and blatantly partisan towards me and my office, often criticizing me unjustifiably, yet any physical violence and hounding perpetrated on her are inexcusable and unacceptable,” he added in the statement.

The Lieutenant Governor said it is “most disturbing” to note that the alleged scene of crime was the Chief Minister’s drawing room and he was at home. Referring to AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s statement to the media days after the May 13 incident, Mr Saxena wrote, “Her fellow member of Rajya Sabha confirmed her narrative in full media glare, and assured that the CM would take firm action against the culprit – his aide. Subsequently, a total U turn was done in the matter, apparently at the behest of the highest functionary. This too is inexplicable and baffling.”

“I would have expected that at least for the sake of propriety, my CM would have come clean, rather than being evasive and dodgy. His deafening silence speaks volumes of his stance on safety of women,” the statement said.

Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor said, is the national capital and home to the entire diplomatic community from around the world. “Such shameful incidents and the insensitive and conspiratorial contemptuous government response, on an issue of women safety, tarnishes India’s image worldwide. Had such an incident happened in any other Chief Minister’s residence in the country, external forces with vested interests, inimical to India, would have unleashed a scathing global narrative around women safety in India. The absence of any outrage in this case leaves several questions unanswered,” he said, adding, “Delhi Police is investigating the matter and I assure that the matter will be brought to its logical conclusion.”

Responding to the Lieutenant Governor’s strong statement, AAP said his letter “proves that Swati Maliwal is working for the BJP”. “With the elections on, the BJP is bringing a new conspiracy daily, from liquor scam to Swati Maliwal to foreign funding. The BJP is losing badly, so they are trying to revive their prospects by using the Swati Maliwal issue.”

Ms Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha member and former chief of Delhi Commission for Women, has alleged that Bibhav Kumar, Mr Kejriwal’s long-time aide and his former personal secretary, assaulted her during an altercation when she went to meet the Chief Minister on May 13 at his residence. An FIR has been filed, and Bibhav Kumar has been arrested.

The AAP, which had earlier said Mr Kejriwal has directed strict action against his aide, later alleged that the BJP is trying to include Ms Maliwal in a conspiracy. “The anti-corruption bureau of the BJP has filed a case against Swati Maliwal regarding the illegal recruitment of contractual employees in DCW. A charge sheet has been filed and the time of conviction is coming, we believe that Swati Maliwal is being included in the conspiracy by using this case,” Delhi minister Atishi said.

The Delhi Chief Minister on Sunday led a protest march to the BJP headquarters and alleged that Bibhav Kumar’s arrest was part of BJP’s ‘Operation Jhadoo’ to crush AAP by jailing its leaders. He did not directly remark on Ms Maliwal’s allegations. Hitting back, the BJP said the AAP leader did not hit the streets for his jailed colleagues Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, but was doing so for his aide accused of assaulting a woman MP from his party.

New Delhi:

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal said that until she filed a complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bhibav Kumar, she was referred to as the “Lady Singham” but today she is a “BJP agent”.

“Since yesterday, Delhi ministers are spreading lies that an FIR has been filed against me for corruption, which is why I did this on the BJP’s instruction. The FIR was lodged eight years ago in 2016, after which the Chief Minister and the Lt Governor appointed me as the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women twice. The case was completely fake on which the High Court put a stay for 1.5 years,” Ms Maliwal wrote in a detailed post on X.

In 2016, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed a charge sheet against Ms Maliwal, accusing her of making unlawful appointments in the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and alleging that she favoured AAP workers.

“According to them, until I filed a complaint against Bibhav Kumar, I was ‘Lady Singham’ and today I have become a BJP agent,” Ms Maliwal said.

“The entire troll army was deployed against me because I spoke the truth. Everyone in the party is being called and told to send Swati’s personal video if they have one, as it has to be leaked. They’re putting my relatives’ lives in danger by tweeting their details, including their car numbers,” she alleged.

“Well, lies don’t last long. But in the intoxication of power and in the passion to bring someone down, it should not happen that when the truth comes out, you are not able to look even your family in the eye. I will take you to court for every lie you spread,” she wrote.

Last week, Swati Maliwal filed an FIR against Bibhav Kumar for allegedly assaulting her when she went to meet Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in Delhi’s Civil Lines area on May 13. The police have taken Mr Kumar into custody.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The police took Bibhav Kumar, accused of assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal, to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence today to recreate the alleged crime scene, an officer said.

Mr Kumar has been interrogated and the statements of around 20 people have been recorded in connection with the case, the Delhi Police officer said.

The statements of the Chief Minister and his family may also be taken if required, he said.

On Saturday, Mr Kejriwal’s aide was arrested from the Chief Minister’s residence and sent to five-day police custody.

“A team of Delhi Police officers took him to the Chief Minister’s residence to recreate the crime scene and corroborate the sequence of the incident around 5:45 pm. They remained there for almost an hour and later took him to his house, which is in the same area,” the officer said.

Swati Maliwal filed an FIR against Bibhav Kumar for allegedly assaulting her when she had gone to meet Mr Kejriwal at his residence in Delhi’s Civil Lines area on May 13. The Delhi Police later added another charge in the FIR – destruction of evidence, the officer said.

During interrogation, the investigators asked Mr Kumar why he had gone to the Chief Minister’s house on May 18, five days after the alleged incident and the day he was arrested. He was also asked about his equation with Ms Maliwal and why she was at Mr Kejriwal’s home on May 13, the officer said.

According to police, the statements of around 20 people, including the Delhi Police personnel who attended the PCR calls made by Ms Maliwal from the Chief Minister’s residence, have been recorded. This also includes some personnel posted at the Civil Lines police station, the police said.

The officer said there are a few more people whose statements are yet to be recorded.

The investigators plan to take Mr Kumar to Mumbai as they suspect he has dumped his phone data on another system before getting it formatted, the officer said.

Mr Kumar’s phone and the CCTV’s DVR were recovered from Mr Kejriwal’s home and will be sent to the forensic laboratory for further examinations. Footage from eight CCTV cameras and DVRs were collected but some did not have videos of the incident, the officer said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Delhi Police team reached the official residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday in connection with its investigation in the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, sources said.

They said the police team collected electronic devices including CCTV DVR (digital video recorder) to potentially get the footage of the alleged assault on Ms Maliwal on May 13 when Bibhav Kumar, Mr Kejriwal’s close aide, allegedly attacked her at the CM’s residence.

#WATCH | A team of Delhi Police including Additional DCP Anjitha Chepyala, SHO Civil Lines arrives at the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the AAP MP Swati Maliwal assault case.

Delhi Police yesterday arrested Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar… pic.twitter.com/nGbMsxvXWl

— ANI (@ANI) May 19, 2024

Ms Maliwal has alleged that the CCTV footage of the CM’s residence was being tampered with.

Mr Kumar was arrested on Saturday and produced in a court which remanded him in five-day police custody. The sources said Mr Kumar is evasive in his replies during his interrogation.

The Delhi Police booked Mr Kumar for molestation and attempted culpable homicide after Ms Maliwal’s complaint.

The FIR includes 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 at the Civil Lines police station.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Bibhav Kumar, the main accused in the Swati Maliwal assault case, has for long been Arvind Kejriwal’s shadow, with their association going back to the time when the Aam Aadmi Party did not even exist.

Forty-three-year-old Bibhav Kumar, it is learnt, holds a Master’s degree from Delhi University and a postgraduate diploma in journalism and met the AAP leader when he had been working with Kabir, an NGO founded by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in 2005. He also worked with Ms Maliwal on some projects after Mr Kejriwal, Mr Sisodia and journalist Abhinandan Sekhri founded the Public Cause Research Foundation.

When the India Against Corruption movement catapulted Mr Kejriwal to national limelight, Bibhav Kumar was with him.

After AAP swept the 2015 election in Delhi, Bibhav Kumar was appointed Mr Kejriwal’s private secretary. He was reappointed in 2020 when AAP returned to power in the national capital.

Known to work behind the scenes, Bibhav Kumar’s influence was such that anyone, be it mediapersons or AAP functionaries, had to go through him if he/she wanted to meet Mr Kejriwal. He is among Mr Kejriwal’s most trusted aides and is known to play a key role in shaping AAP’s strategies.   

The ‘shadow’ first came under the spotlight last year when Delhi’s directorate of vigilance questioned why he had been allotted a Type VI bungalow in violation of rules. Soon after, the Public Works Department cancelled the allotment.

In February this year, he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged irregularities in Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy that led to the arrest of top AAP leaders.

In April, the vigilance department terminated Bibhav Kumar’s services as Mr Kejriwal’s personal secretary, citing a 2007 case of obstructing a public servant from work. He approached the Central Administrative Tribunal, but did not get any relief.

Delhi Police, it is remand note, has questioned why Bibhav Kumar was at the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13 — when the alleged assault on Ms Maliwal took place — despite his termination.

A Rajya Sabha MP and former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women, Ms Maliwal has accused Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her during a visit to the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13. Kumar has been arrested and is currently in police custody. 

The AAP, which had earlier said Bibhav Kumar had misbehaved with Ms Maliwal and strict action would be taken against him, has now said its MP is part of a BJP conspiracy.

“Anti-Corruption Bureau of the BJP has filed a case against Swati Maliwal regarding the illegal recruitment of contractual employees in DCW. A charge sheet has been filed and the time of conviction is coming, we believe that Swati Maliwal is being included in the conspiracy by using this case.” AAP leader Atishi told the media yesterday.

Mr Kejriwal is holding a protest march to the BJP headquarters today. Announcing the protest yesterday, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “playing the game” of sending AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh to jail.

“They are after our party and sending our leaders to jail one after another… Today you have sent my PA (Bibhav Kumar) to jail.”

A video of a scuffle between a group of people at the Tis Hazari Court mediation center in Delhi is viral with a false claim that it shows the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament Swati Maliwal.

Maliwal in her complaint has alleged that she was attacked by Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar on May 13, 2024, inside the CM’s residence. Kumar has denied the allegation and written to the Delhi Police for registering an FIR on his complaint too. The Delhi police arrested Kumar on May 18, 2024, to be produced in Tis Hazari Court according to The Indian Express.

The 49 secondz video is being shared on X with the caption, “Scene from Delhi CM’s official residence Sheesh Mahal @SwatiJaiHind, You should also see how the fight took place in #DelhiCMResidence. This was bound to happen, Swati Maliwal has been beaten up, the beating was done by Kejriwal’s PA, news is coming in that there is heavy kicking going on in the CMO, the reason given is that Swati, Marlona, ​​Sanjay, all want to become CM and Kejriwal wants to make his Rabri the Chief Minister, a lot of fighting is still left.

Click here to view, and here for an archive.

BOOM also received the viral video on our WhatsApp number (7700906588) inquiring about its authenticity.

Also Read:Posts Falsely Claim Pakistan Flag At Shiv Sena (UBT) Roadshow In Mumbai

FACT-CHECK

BOOM found that the viral video is from a scuffle at the Tis Hazari Court Mediation Center in Delhi and does not show the alleged assault on Maliwal.

We broke the video into keyframes and ran a reverse image search using Google and results showed several posts on Instagram and X. The posts stated that the viral video is from an incident at Tis Hazari Court Mediation Center in Delhi.

We also found several comments from lawyers stating that they were present at the spot after the fight broke out at the Tis Hazari Court Mediation Center.

Click here to view

We also found a blog from April 2024, shot at Tis Hazari Court, which visuals match the room in the viral video, which confirms the location. This can be seen from the 1.52 minutes timestamp.

Click here to view

Additionally, we found several posts with the viral video posted on May 12, 2024, which predates the Swati Maliwal assault case that was reported on the morning of May 13, 2024.

The viral video was posted on May 12, 2024, by the handle @iAtulKrishan1 with the caption, “Clash /Full drama. A video from Delhi’s Tis Hazari court has surfaced, showing family members clashing with each other in the mediation room. They came to settle their scores but ended up in conflict with each other”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Hitting out at the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) protest march over the political row surrounding her alleged assault, party MP Swati Maliwal has said that those who hit the streets for justice for the Delhi gangrape victim are now doing so to protect an accused.

Referring to the protest in the wake of the 2012 Delhi gangrape-murder, Ms Maliwal posted on X, “There was a time when he hit the streets to get justice for Nirbhaya. Twelve years later, they are hitting the streets to save an accused who deleted CCTV footage and formatted the phone.”

Delhi Police have said Bibhav Kumar, former personal secretary to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and main accused in the assault case, may have been involved in tampering with the CCTV footage of the Chief Minister’s home to destroy evidence. Kumar has also formatted his phone, Delhi cops have said in the remand note. The close aide of Mr Kejriwal has been arrested and is in police custody.

किसी दौर में हम सब निर्भया को इंसाफ़ दिलाने के लिए सड़क पर निकलते थे, आज 12 साल बाद सड़क पर निकले हैं ऐसे आरोपी को बचाने के लिए जिसने CCTV फुटेज ग़ायब किए और Phone format किया?

काश इतना ज़ोर मनीष सिसोदिया जी के लिए लगाया होता। वो यहाँ होते तो शायद मेरे साथ इतना बुरा नहीं होता! pic.twitter.com/kXAAMLgPcg

— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 19, 2024

In her post, Ms Maliwal also said this would have happened to her if Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister, was not in jail.

“I wish they had tried so hard for Manish Sisodia. If he was here, maybe something so bad would not have happened to me,” she said. Mr Sisodia, who is among AAP’s top leaders, is in jail for over a year in connection with a money laundering case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy.

A Rajya Sabha member and former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, Ms Maliwal has alleged that Bibhav Kumar had slapped her multiple times and kicked her when she went to meet the Chief Minister at his residence on May 13. AAP MP Sanjay Singh had earlier said the Chief Minister’s aide had misbehaved with her and that Mr Kejriwal will take strict action.

The BJP has described the incident as “shameful”. Delhi BJP chief Sachdeva told news agency ANI, “I am happy that the accused Bibhav Kumar has been arrested. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should break his silence on this matter because he was present at that time in that house. A woman has been assaulted in that house. It would be good if people of the AAP would have come in support of her. We welcome the investigation initiated against him and hope that strict action is taken against him.”

The AAP has said the BJP has made Ms Maliwal part of a conspiracy. “Anti-Corruption Bureau of the BJP has filed a case against Swati Maliwal regarding the illegal recruitment of contractual employees in DCW. A charge sheet has been filed and the time of conviction is coming, we believe that Swati Maliwal is being included in the conspiracy by using this case,” AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atisi told the media yesterday.

Mr Kejriwal has announced a protest march to the BJP headquarters today. At a press meet yesterday, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “playing the game” of sending AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh to jail.

“They are after our party and sending our leaders to jail one after another… Today you have sent my PA (Bibhav Kumar) to jail,” he said, adding that the BJP is saying they will send AAP MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail too.

Countering Atishi’s allegations, Mr Sachdeva said, “It would have been better if she (Atishi) would’ve spoken in favour of Ms Maliwal. I understand, she would’ve done this to save her seat in the party, but I want to ask her, the person who has been assaulted is a leader of AAP, who assaulted her is a leader of AAP, in whose house she was assaulted is also leader of AAP, the whole circus belongs to AAP, how is BJP involved in the matter?”