Delhi High Court dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by Swatantra Bhardwaj, who is alleged to have assaulted the father of a minor activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja rejected the plea after the Delhi Police argued that the petition was not maintainable because Bhardwaj had already been remanded to judicial custody. The decision came after a Patiala House court remanded him for 14 days.
Delhi Police sought a 14‑day extension of Bhardwaj’s judicial custody and he is scheduled to be produced before the court on September 21. Bhardwaj’s counsel contended that his arrest was illegal, citing a Supreme Court order that quashed FIRs related to the exam‑leak protests. The police maintained that the detention was lawful following a competent court’s remand.
Bhardwaj was arrested after a one‑day police custody period that followed a court remand, after being detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on Friday. He is accused of assaulting Sanjay Kumar, father of a minor protester, during a CJP‑led demonstration in July. Police said the injuries were “simple” and caused by a steel bracelet, and added provisions of the SC/ST Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR.
Additional charges include attempt‑to‑murder, criminal intimidation, and a fresh FIR under the POCSO Act for alleged online rape threats. The case also invokes Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act provisions. Bhardwaj claimed self‑defence; Union Minister Chirag Paswan said his name was misused and filed a complaint, while the CJP staged a protest outside Parliament Street Police Station demanding action.
