A Delhi court granted three-week bail to Swatantra Bhardwaj to monitor his conduct

Security personnel deployed outside the Patiala House Courts ahead of the hearing of social media influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj in the alleged assault case in New Delhi. File | Photo credit: PTI

A Delhi court on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) granted three-week interim bail to Hindutva activist Swatantra Bhardwaj in a case arising out of the alleged assault of a Dalit student-activist’s father during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests at Jantar Mantar.

Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler of the Patiala House Courts, while ordering his release for three weeks, said that the duty under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to protect the victim and the duty under Article 21 of the Constitution to protect personal liberty could best be reconciled by releasing the applicant for three weeks on provisional terms.

“His conduct during this period will be monitored and his prayer for regular bail will then be considered in its light. Whatever is to be decided on the incident of 06/23/2026 must be decided in court, on the basis of evidence and not in public or on social media,” the court observed.

No media interaction

Besides providing a personal bond of ₹50,000, the court ordered him not to talk to the media, post messages on social media, contact the victim or her family, etc.

The court added that if the complainant or the investigating officer is found to be in violation of any of the terms of the pre-trial detention, they can bring it to the notice of the court without waiting for another term so that the pre-trial detention can be reviewed or revoked.

“The regular bail application remains pending and will be considered at a later date in the light of the applicant’s conduct and status report,” he added.

Mr. Bhardwaj was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on September 5 on charges of assault at the Jantar Mantar protest site. He was charged with assault under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A separate FIR was also registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).

The original FIR filed in the matter invoked only Sections 115(2) (causing simple hurt) and 126(2) (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The matter escalated when the accused claimed on social media that he had fractured the complainant’s skull and was only detained by the police for a few hours. He added that because of his “connections” no one could touch him.

Later, the CJP led a protest outside the Parliament Street police station seeking action on the matter. That’s when the police added another charge to the FIR.

Mr. Bhardwaj sought a declaration from the Delhi High Court that his arrest was illegal. The petition for habeas corpus was denied and he remains in judicial custody.

The court noted that allegations of caste slurs, though made early in the incident, were absent from the original complaint and first surfaced about 10 weeks later. The judge said the delay in itself did not prove the allegation was false, but could be taken into account when considering the case for bail.

The court also emphasized that questions about what was said, who was the aggressor and the authenticity of the rival videos would ultimately have to be decided in court.

Published – 15 Sep 2026 16:43 IST