Delhi HC Spurns Habeas Corpus Plea of Swatantra Bharadwaj Held in Jantar Mantar Assault Case

(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

7, September,2026-The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a Habeas Corpus petition moved by right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, who had challenged his arrest as illegal and sought release from custody. A Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja declined to entertain the plea.

Bhardwaj was arrested from Uttar Pradesh on September 5 over the alleged assault, during Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests at Jantar Mantar in July, of the father of a Dalit student-activist.

Though initially booked only under BNS provisions for simple hurt and wrongful restraint, additional and more serious charges including under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the POCSO Act followed after the activist and the complainant’s family staged a protest at Parliament Street police station.

Bhardwaj had earlier claimed on social media to have “cracked the skull” of the complainant, asserting he was let off after brief detention, and had also claimed proximity to NDA leaders Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan a claim Paswan has denied, separately lodging a complaint against Bhardwaj for misuse of his name.

A sessions court has since remanded Bhardwaj to 14 days’ judicial custody.

Case: Swatantra Bhardwaj v. State (Habeas Corpus Petition) Delhi High Court