Delhi HC rejects Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj’s anti-arrest plea

Supporters of the influential Hindutva Swatantra Bhardwaj gather in the rain outside the Parliament Street police station. | Photo credit: ANI

The Delhi High Court on Monday (September 7, 2026) dismissed Hindutva influential Swatantra Bhardwaj’s plea against his arrest in connection with the alleged attack on the father of a student activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar.

A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said Mr. Bhardwaj was taken into custody on the orders of the trial court and could challenge his arrest in a competent court.

Mr. Bhardwaj’s counsel argued that even the one-day remand was illegal and argued that a First Information Report (FIR) did not exist in the eyes of law.

He argued that it was one of the FIRs related to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest which had been quashed by the Supreme Court.

However, counsel for the Delhi Police said Mr Bhardwaj was produced via video conference before a magistrate on Saturday and was sent to one-day police custody.

“He is in custody on warrants, so where is the question of habeas corpus or illegal detention. Once there is a legal order, they can challenge it in the appropriate court,” the police lawyer said.

Based on instructions from the Station House Officer of the Parliament Street Police Station, the counsel said that this FIR has not been quashed by the High Court.

The counsel for the complainant informed the court that the provisions of the SC/ST Act were also invoked against Mr. Bhardwaj in the FIR.

Mr. Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on September 4, hours after the CJP staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest for alleged assault.

Published – 07 Sep 2026 12:22 IST