Swatantra Bhardwaj Gets Three-Week Interim Bail in Jantar Mantar Physical Assault Case

New Delhi: A Delhi court has granted three weeks of interim bail to Swatantra Bhardwaj, who is accused of assaulting the father of student activist Nishu Azad during a protest at Jantar Mantar. Bhardwaj was arrested in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month and subsequently remanded in judicial custody.

During the bail hearing, Bhardwaj's counsel argued that the arrest was politically motivated and claimed that the complainant, Sanjay Kumar, had attacked Bhardwaj first at the protest site. The lawyer told the court that video evidence showed the complainant initiating the assault and alleged that the SC/ST Act provisions were added to the case for political reasons.

The complainant's lawyer opposed the bail plea, alleging that Bhardwaj had used casteist slurs against Sanjay Kumar and had admitted in a video interview to assaulting him. The prosecution has invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case.

The case relates to an incident during a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar in June. Bhardwaj later spoke about the incident in a podcast, claiming that he had “cracked the skull” of Nishu Azad's father.

The controversy intensified after the podcast remarks surfaced, with CJP supporters staging a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding action against Bhardwaj. He was subsequently arrested by Delhi Police in Uttar Pradesh.