Swati Maliwal assault case: Bibhav Kumar remanded to 14-day judicial custody
The Hindu
Delhi court sends Bibhav Kumar to 14 days judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal
A Delhi court on May 31 sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar to 14 days judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM’s residence earlier this month.
The CM’s aide was arrested by the Delhi police on May 18 after Ms. Maliwal alleged that she had been assaulted by him on May 13 when she went to meet Mr. Kejriwal at his official residence. According to the FIR lodged by the MP, she was kicked on the chest, stomach and pelvic area by Mr. Kumar.
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.
Mr. Kumar has since then approached the Delhi High Court to appeal for bail. The Delhi High Court today reserved Kumar’s bail plea order on the issue of maintainability.
“Writing, in general, is a very solitary process,” says Yauvanika Chopra, Associate Director at The New India Foundation (NIF), which, earlier this year, announced the 12th edition of its NIF Book Fellowships for research and scholarship about Indian history after Independence. While authors, in general, are built for it, it can still get very lonely, says Chopra, pointing out that the fellowship’s community support is as valuable as the monetary benefits it offers. “There is a solid community of NIF fellows, trustees, language experts, jury members, all of whom are incredibly competent,” she says. “They really help make authors feel supported from manuscript to publication, so you never feel like you’re struggling through isolation.”
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