The Delhi High Court has dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by Swatantra Bhardwaj, a right-wing influencer, contesting his arrest by Delhi Police. His arrest was connected to an alleged assault incident involving the father of a student-activist during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in July.
The legal challenge was heard by a bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja. The court, after considering the arguments, decided to reject Bhardwaj’s plea for release from custody.
Bhardwaj was apprehended on September 5 in Uttar Pradesh. His arrest followed accusations of assault against the father of a Dalit student-activist during the protests at Jantar Mantar. The case includes charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST Act) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).
Initially, Bhardwaj faced charges under Sections 115(2) (causing simple hurt) and 126(2) (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Subsequently, after taking to social media, he boasted about assaulting the father, claiming to have inflicted severe harm and mentioning brief detention by the police. He also claimed to have close ties with prominent NDA leaders Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan.
In response to these assertions, Chirag Paswan publicly refuted any association with Bhardwaj and filed a separate complaint against him for falsely using his name. The situation escalated when CJP leaders, joined by the student-activist and her father, staged a protest at the Parliament Street police station, resulting in the addition of more serious charges against Bhardwaj, leading to his arrest.
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Concurrently, a sessions court has remanded Swatantra Bhardwaj to judicial custody for a duration of 14 days as the legal proceedings continue.
