Patiala House court on Monday reserved its order on the bail plea filed by Swatantra Bhardwaj in connection with the alleged assault of the father of a teenage Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of the Patiala House Courts is scheduled to pronounce the order on Tuesday. The Court earlier decided to conduct the proceedings in camera after being informed that two FIRs had been registered against Bhardwaj, one under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and another under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The Court was informed that Bhardwaj had been arrested in connection with the FIR registered under the SC/ST Act and not in the POCSO case. He is currently in judicial custody.
The Delhi High Court had recently dismissed Bhardwaj’s habeas corpus petition challenging his arrest.
Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday, hours after the CJP staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest in connection with the alleged assault.
Following the developments, the Delhi Police added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR concerning the alleged assault on the minor activist’s father. A separate POCSO case was also registered against Bhardwaj.
Bhardwaj came under police scrutiny after remarks he allegedly made in a video podcast regarding the assault on the father of the CJP protester went viral. In the video, he allegedly claimed to have assaulted the man and referred to his political connections.
The allegations relate to an incident during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July involving CJP activists. The subsequent registration of multiple criminal cases and Bhardwaj’s arrest led to further protests by the political group, which demanded action against him.
The Court’s decision to hold the bail proceedings in camera came after it was apprised of the separate FIRs invoking provisions of the SC/ST Act and POCSO Act.
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