A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to self-styled ‘right-wing’ influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, accused of assaulting a 38-year-old man during a Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest in June.
The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of Patiala House Courts, granting regular bail to Bhardwaj, following expiry of his three-week interim bail. Police were directed to investigate threatening and sexually explicit messages allegedly sent to the complainant and his minor daughter and determine whether those responsible were linked to Bhardwaj. The court also noted that Bhardwaj had not fully disclosed his criminal antecedents, including another FIR filed on behalf of the complainant’s minor daughter under the POCSO Act .
The court, while granting a three-week interim bail to Bhardwaj through an order on September 15, noted that the allegation that Bhardwaj used caste-based slurs was made for the first time nearly 10 weeks after the incident and was not part of the original complaint.
It, however, said the delay alone could not establish that the allegation was false.
The court also directed Bhardwaj not to contact the complainant, his daughter, family members, or witnesses, and barred him from making public statements, podcasts, videos, or social media posts about the case. The investigating officer was directed to file a status report on the next date, including his conduct during the interim bail period.
The case
An argument followed, which allegedly escalated into a physical altercation. The court also flagged several gaps in the investigation, including the absence of forensic examinations of videos and electronic materials, and the incomplete collection of CCTV footage, police recordings, call detail records, location data, and social media information. The case stems from an incident which took place on June 23 at Jantar Mantar , during a CJP protest over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks.
The complainant had gone to the protest with his daughter and was recording the proceedings on his phone when Bhardwaj and two to three other identified persons questioned him about making a video, according to the original FIR.
