Swatantra Bhardwaj gets 3-week interim bail in Jantar Mantar assault case

A Delhi court has granted three-week interim bail to ‘right-wing influencer’ Swatantra Bhardwaj in connection with an alleged assault on the father of a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July.

Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler passed the order, granting Bhardwaj interim relief against a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the same amount.

Case linked to Jantar Mantar assault

The case against Bhardwaj has been registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr earlier this month, shortly after the CJP staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station, demanding action against him over the alleged assault.

The detention followed public outrage over an interview in which Bhardwaj claimed he had “cracked the skull” of the student activist's father during the Jantar Mantar protest.

He had also claimed that he managed to avoid arrest because of his political connections.

Bhardwaj later claimed self-defence

Bhardwaj later said he had acted in self-defence.

The Delhi Police had initially said that the injuries sustained by the student activist's father were "simple in nature". The police subsequently added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR registered against Bhardwaj in connection with the alleged assault.

The case relates to an incident during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July, though the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault have remained a matter of investigation.

Separate POCSO case also registered

Apart from the assault case, a separate case has also been registered against Bhardwaj under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The latest court order provides Bhardwaj with interim bail for three weeks in the Jantar Mantar assault case. The allegations against him remain subject to the ongoing legal proceedings.