New Delhi, September 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj challenging his arrest in connection with the alleged assault of the father of a minor activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar.
A Bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja rejected the plea after the Delhi Police argued that the habeas corpus petition was not maintainable as Bhardwaj had already been remanded to judicial custody.
The development came as a Patiala House court remanded Bhardwaj to 14 days of judicial custody in the alleged assault case. The Delhi Police had sought a 14-day extension of his custody. Bhardwaj will now be produced before the court on September 21.
During the High Court hearing, Bhardwaj’s counsel argued that his arrest was illegal, claiming that the FIR under which he was arrested had already been quashed by the Supreme Court in its recent order concerning FIRs registered in connection with the exam leak protests.
The Delhi Police opposed the petition, maintaining that Bhardwaj’s detention was lawful after a competent court had remanded him to judicial custody.
The petition was mentioned before Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya earlier in the day by advocate Umesh Sharma, who said Bhardwaj had been in custody for three days and alleged that his arrest was illegal. The High Court subsequently allowed urgent listing of the petition.
The plea was filed a day after a Delhi court remanded Bhardwaj to one day of judicial custody following the completion of his one-day police custody in the alleged assault case.
Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on Friday, hours after representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) met senior Delhi Police officials and demanded his immediate arrest.
According to police, Bhardwaj is accused of assaulting Sanjay Kumar, father of a minor protester, during a CJP-led demonstration at Jantar Mantar in July. Police had earlier said Kumar’s injuries were “simple” in nature and were caused by a steel bracelet.
The police subsequently added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR. The CJP had also demanded invocation of an attempt-to-murder charge, while police said the provision would be considered after obtaining an expert medical opinion.
A separate FIR was registered against Bhardwaj under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act following a complaint by the minor activist, who alleged online rape threats and harassment. The case also invokes relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
The controversy began after a purported viral video in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had physically assaulted the minor activist’s father during the Jantar Mantar demonstration and allegedly said he was let off because of his “political connections”. Bhardwaj later told the media that he had allegedly acted in self-defence.
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) chief Chirag Paswan said his name had been “misused” by Bhardwaj in the purported video. Paswan said he had filed an official complaint and would ensure justice for the minor victim and her family.
The CJP had also staged a protest outside Parliament Street Police Station, demanding action against Bhardwaj and seeking the addition of attempt-to-murder, criminal intimidation and SC/ST Act provisions to the case.
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