Security personnel deployed outside the Patiala House Courts ahead of the hearing of social media influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj in an alleged assault case, in New Delhi, September 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A Delhi court on Monday (September 7, 2026) remanded Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj to 14 days in judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault of the father of a student during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of the Patiala House Courts passed the order after Mr. Bhardwaj was produced before the court following the completion of his one-day police custody.
The court had remanded him to police custody for a day on Saturday (September 5). He will be produced before the court again on September 21.
Mr. Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday (September 4), a few hours after the CJP held a demonstration outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest in connection with the alleged assault.
The Delhi police subsequently added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR registered against Mr. Bhardwaj over the alleged assault of the minor activist’s father. A separate case under the POCSO Act has also been registered against him.
Mr. Bhardwaj came under scrutiny after a video podcast in which he claimed to have “cracked the skull” of the student’s father during the demonstration went viral. He also claimed during the interview that he had political connections that helped him avoid arrest.
Published – September 07, 2026 08:53 pm IST
