NEW DELHI
Self-styled right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was sent to 14-day judicial custody on Monday after the Delhi High Court dismissed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention in connection with an alleged assault during the Jantar Mantar protest in June.
Bhardwaj was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on Friday after the Cockroach Janta Party held a protest outside Parliament Street police station, demanding action against him. The case concerns an alleged assault on Sanjay Kumar, the father of a teenage student activist, during the protest.
During the court hearing, Bhardwaj’s counsel argued that the Supreme Court had already quashed all FIRs linked to the Jantar Mantar protests and questioned the Delhi Police for travelling to Bulandshahr to arrest him. The court, however, rejected the plea and ordered his judicial custody.
The Delhi Police also added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR against Bhardwaj. The action followed a video podcast in which he allegedly claimed he had “cracked the skull” of the minor activist’s father during the protest. He later said he had acted in self-defence, while police had earlier described the injuries as simple.
Bhardwaj is also facing a separate case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. His arrest came after renewed demands for action over the alleged assault. The court proceedings focused on the legality of his custody, while investigators pursued allegations connected to the June demonstration. The developments have kept the Jantar Mantar case under police scrutiny.
