New Delhi, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on the regular bail plea of self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, who is in judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault of the father of a minor activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar. The Patiala House Court is expected to pronounce its order on Tuesday.
During the hearing, the court questioned the Delhi Police over allegations that Bhardwaj had used caste-indicative words during the incident. The police submitted that the initial complaint did not mention any such language and that the allegation was subsequently made in a further statement by the complainant, following which provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were added to the FIR.
Bhardwaj’s counsel sought bail, while the prosecution opposed the plea.
Bhardwaj is accused of assaulting Sanjay Kumar, the father of a minor protester, during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in July. Police had earlier described the injuries suffered by Kumar as “simple” and alleged that they were caused by a steel bracelet.
The FIR invokes relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions relating to criminal intimidation.
The development comes after the Patiala House Court declined an out-of-turn hearing on Bhardwaj’s bail plea and listed it for September 14. He was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on September 4, hours after representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) met senior Delhi Police officials and demanded his arrest.
The Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by Bhardwaj challenging his arrest. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja rejected the plea after Delhi Police submitted that it was not maintainable as Bhardwaj had already been remanded to judicial custody.
The CJP had also sought invocation of an attempt-to-murder charge. Police said the possibility would be examined after obtaining an expert medical opinion.
In a separate case, an FIR was registered against Bhardwaj under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the complaint of the minor activist, who alleged online rape threats and harassment.
The controversy followed a purported viral video in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed to have 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 acted in self-defence.
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) chief Chirag Paswan had said his name was “misused” by Bhardwaj in the purported video. Paswan said he had filed an official complaint and would ensure justice for the minor and her family.
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