A Delhi court on Tuesday granted three weeks of interim bail to self-styled right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj in a case concerning the assault of the father of a teenage Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of the Patiala House Courts granted the relief on a bail bond of ₹50,000 with a surety of the same amount. Bhardwaj was arrested earlier this month after a video podcast in which he allegedly claimed to have “cracked the skull” of the protester’s father went viral.
The CJP protestor’s father, a resident of Ghaziabad, had suffered a head injury during the altercation. Bhardwaj also allegedly claimed that the victim had required 60 stitches and that he had escaped arrest because of political connections.
The allegations prompted CJP supporters, led by Saurav Das, to protest outside the Parliament Street police station, demanding Bhardwaj’s arrest and action under provisions including attempt to murder and the SC/ST Act.
Swatantra Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, shortly after the CJP protest and was subsequently sent to judicial custody. The Delhi Police later added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR relating to the alleged assault. A separate case has also been registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court was informed that Bhardwaj had been arrested in connection with the SC/ST Act case and not the POCSO case. The court had earlier decided to conduct proceedings in camera after being informed about the two FIRs. The Delhi High Court has also rejected Swatantra Bhardwaj’s habeas corpus petition challenging his arrest.
Swatantra Bhardwaj later claimed that he had acted in self-defence. Delhi Police had earlier described the injuries sustained by the alleged victim as “simple in nature”. His lawyer, Piyush Jain, had previously expressed concern over his safety in custody, claiming that he could be targeted by “anti-national elements” in Tihar Jail. Jain had urged the Centre and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to ensure adequate security for Bhardwaj, alleging that some individuals wanted to attack him to send a message to the government.
