The Delhi High Court is set to hear a habeas corpus petition on Monday regarding Swatantra Bhardwaj, a right-wing influencer. Bhardwaj was arrested last week following an alleged assault on the father of a student activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. This case has drawn attention due to its implications for free speech and the ongoing tensions surrounding political protests in the capital.
The ‘influencer’ was arrested on Friday after being detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr. A Delhi court subsequently remanded him to one day of police custody on Saturday. On Sunday, a Delhi court sent Bhardwaj to one-day judicial custody in the case, which was registered under the SC/ST Act.
Bhardwaj’s counsel sought an urgent hearing, stating that his client had been in custody for the past three days. He later claimed that he had acted in self-defence. He was produced before Patiala House Court Duty Magistrate Anjali Singh through video conference by the Delhi Police.
The police action came amid outrage over a video podcast in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had “cracked the skull” of the minor activist’s father during the protest. The Delhi Police had earlier said that the injuries sustained by the student activist’s father were “simple in nature”.
Several supporters of the self-proclaimed Hindutva influencer gathered outside the Parliament Street police station on Saturday, demanding that the case against Bhardwaj be withdrawn and calling for a fair investigation.
