The Delhi High Court is set to hear a habeas corpus petition on Monday concerning the arrest of right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj in connection with assault on a student protestor's father during CJP's Jantar Mantar protest.
The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, following which it was listed for hearing. Swatantra Bhardwaj’s lawyer sought an urgent hearing, stating that his client had been in custody for the past three days.
The 'Hindutva' influencer was arrested on Friday after being detained in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. A Delhi court subsequently remanded him to police custody for a day.
The arrest followed widespread outrage over a video podcast in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had “cracked the skull” of a student activist’s father during the protest. Bhardwaj later maintained that he had acted in self-defence. Delhi Police had earlier said that the injuries sustained by the activist’s father were “simple in nature”.
Subsequently, a Delhi court sent Bhardwaj to one-day judicial custody in a case registered under provisions of the SC/ST Act. He was produced before Duty Magistrate Anjali Singh at Patiala House Court via video conference.
Meanwhile, several supporters of the self-proclaimed Hindutva influencer gathered outside the Parliament Street police station on Saturday, demanding that the case against him be withdrawn and calling for a fair investigation.
