New Delhi:

A court here on Tuesday granted three days to Delhi Police for custodial interrogation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar, who has been accused of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal.

Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at the chief minister’s official residence on May 13.

Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal sent Kumar to police custody till May 31.

A detailed order from the court is awaited.

Delhi Police had sought five days’ custody of the accused.

Kumar’s counsel opposed the Delhi Police’s plea for his custodial interrogation, claiming it had no evidence.

On Monday, Kumar’s bail plea was dismissed by a sessions court, which said there appeared no “pre-meditation” by Maliwal in lodging the FIR and that her allegations could not be “swiped away”.

Kumar was arrested on May 18. He was sent to police custody for five days on the same day by a magisterial court, which observed that his anticipatory bail plea had become infructuous because of his arrest. Last Friday, he was sent to four days’ judicial custody.

The FIR against Kumar was registered on May 16 under various Indian Penal Code provisions, including for 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:

BJP president J P Nadda on Monday attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal in the chief minister’s residence alleging that his silence for four days clearly shows his “double character and dual standards”.

JP Nadda held a road show in the New Delhi constituency in favour of BJP candidate Bansuri Swaraj.

During the rally, he said the atmosphere of the entire country and Delhi is in favour of blessing Modi.

“The BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get over 370 seats and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure more than 400 seats. There is one-sided atmosphere and the BJP is going to win all the seven seats in Delhi.

“You see the excitement. This New Delhi constituency was once a stronghold of the AAP and today see how everyone is eager to bless Modi and Bansuri Swaraj to win the election,” Nadda said.

He further claimed that the number of people voting for the BJP is more than 50 per cent.

“The foundation of this party (AAP) and the leader is rooted in lies since the beginning. They have lied on every occasion.

“This incident (Maliwal’s assault) somehow came to light that is why it has come to our attention. We don’t know how many such incidents have taken place with others,” he said.

Nadda recalled that the chief secretary of the Delhi government got assaulted in Kejriwal’s official residence.

“This is their style of work. Kejriwal’s silence for four days and shifting the microphone from one side to other clearly shows his dual character and double standards,” Nadda stated.

The BJP president alleged that Kejriwal has been exposed in front of the people of Delhi and the country, and no hope can be expected from him. It is necessary to make them sit at home, he added.

Kejriwal was addressing a press conference on May 16 at Lucknow with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav where the Delhi chief minister was asked about the incident. He avoided the question and it was fielded by Yadav and AAP MP Sanjay Singh.

In February 2018, the then Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash had alleged that he was assaulted by the AAP MLAs at Kejriwal’s residence in the presence of the chief minister and Manish Sisodia, who was then the deputy chief minister.

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