‘Right-wing influencer’ Swatantra Bharadwaj granted bail in Jantar Mantar assault case

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to self-styled ‘right-wing’ influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, accused of assaulting a 38-year-old man during a Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest in June.

The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of Patiala House Courts, granting regular bail to Bhardwaj, following expiry of his three-week interim bail.

A detailed order is awaited.

The case

The case stems from an incident which took place on June 23 at Jantar Mantar, during a CJP protest over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks.

According to the original FIR, the complainant had gone to the protest with his daughter and was recording the proceedings on his phone when Bhardwaj and two to three other identified persons questioned him about making a video. An argument followed, which allegedly escalated into a physical altercation.

The complaint alleged that he was punched and hit on the head with a hard object resembling an iron bangle or kada, causing head injuries that required stitches. Delhi Police later said the injury was caused by a metal kada allegedly worn by one of the persons involved in the scuffle and that the medical examination at RML Hospital described the injuries as simple in nature.

The FIR initially invoked bailable offences under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 126(2) (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Bhardwaj’s arrest followed a supplementary statement recorded by the complainant on September 4, after which provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS were added.

The invoking of the SC/ST Act and Bhardwaj's arrest followed a podcast featuring him, which went viral in September, wherein he allegedly boasted about having attacked the complainant and claimed that he had "cracked the skull" of the protester's father. He also allegedly referred to his connections with political leaders, which "helped him avoid jail".

The interim bail

The court, while granting a three-week interim bail to Bhardwaj through an order on September 15, noted that the allegation that Bhardwaj used caste-based slurs was made for the first time nearly 10 weeks after the incident and was not part of the original complaint. It, however, said the delay alone could not establish that the allegation was false.

The court also flagged several gaps in the investigation, including the absence of forensic examinations of videos and electronic materials, and the incomplete collection of CCTV footage, police recordings, call detail records, location data, and social media information.

Police were directed to investigate threatening and sexually explicit messages allegedly sent to the complainant and his minor daughter and determine whether those responsible were linked to Bhardwaj. The court also noted that Bhardwaj had not fully disclosed his criminal antecedents, including another FIR filed on behalf of the complainant’s minor daughter under the POCSO Act.

The court also directed Bhardwaj not to contact the complainant, his daughter, family members, or witnesses, and barred him from making public statements, podcasts, videos, or social media posts about the case. The investigating officer was directed to file a status report on the next date, including his conduct during the interim bail period.