A Delhi court on Sunday sent right-wing ‘influencer’ Swatantra Bhardwaj to one-day judicial custody in connection with an assault case registered under the SC/ST Act.
Bhardwaj was produced before Duty Magistrate Anjali Singh of the Patiala House Court through video conference by the Delhi Police . The judge had allowed the Delhi Police’s plea seeking one-day custodial interrogation of the accused. Bhardwaj had been produced at the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler on Saturday. Delhi Police on Friday added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR against Bhardwaj in connection with the alleged assault on Sanjay Kumar, the father of a teenage student activist, during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest at Jantar Mantar in June.
What is the case about
Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on Friday, hours after the CJP held a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest over the alleged assault. A separate case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has also been registered against Bhardwaj. Bhardwaj later claimed in a podcast that he had acted in self-defence.
Delhi Police had earlier said Sanjay Kumar’s injuries were “simple” in nature and were caused by a steel bracelet.
