Delhi Court Orders One-Day Police Custody for Swatantra Bhardwaj
A Delhi court has remanded Swatantra Bhardwaj to police custody amid allegations of assault during a protest.
Swatantra Bhardwaj was remanded to one day of police custody in an assault case.
The incident involves the father of a teenage activist from the Cockroach Janta Party.
Legal representatives raised concerns over the court's procedures during the remand.
In a significant legal development, a Delhi court has ordered Swatantra Bhardwaj to be held in police custody for one day following allegations of assault. The incident in question occurred during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July, involving the father of a minor activist associated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Bhardwaj was apprehended in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, just hours after a protest was staged outside the Parliament Street police station, where demonstrators demanded his arrest. The Delhi Police subsequently expanded the charges against him, incorporating provisions from the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation into the First Information Report (FIR). Additionally, a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been initiated.
During the proceedings, Bhardwaj was presented before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler at his residence around 2 PM. Advocate Rishav Ranjan, representing the victim's daughter, expressed concerns regarding the unusual circumstances of Bhardwaj's court appearance, noting that the judge was not in a formal courtroom setting. He questioned the clarity of the charges and the duration of the police remand requested by law enforcement.
Conversely, Bhardwaj's lawyer, Umesh Sharma, explained that the regular magistrate was unavailable, leading to the decision to present the accused before a Link Magistrate. He confirmed that the police had sought a one-day remand, which was granted under the new charges.
The case has drawn significant attention following Bhardwaj's controversial remarks in a viral video podcast, where he claimed to have assaulted the father of the CJP protester and boasted about his political connections. This incident raises broader implications regarding political accountability and the treatment of activists in India, particularly in light of the legal protections afforded to marginalized communities under the SC/ST Act and POCSO Act.
