Bhardwaj gets 14-day judicial custody in assault case

Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was on Monday, September 7, 2026, sent to 14 days of judicial custody by a Delhi court in connection with the alleged assault on the father of a student activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar. The Delhi High Court also dismissed a plea by Bhardwaj challenging his arrest. Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on September 4, following renewed protests demanding his arrest. The action comes after a viral podcast in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed he had "cracked the skull" of Sanjay Kumar, the father of a teenage student activist, during a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led protest on June 23. He also claimed he had escaped arrest due to political connections. Delhi Police stated that Bhardwaj was produced before a sessions judge on September 5, who allowed one day of custodial interrogation. He was subsequently sent to one-day judicial custody on September 6. On Monday, he was produced virtually before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler and remanded to 14 days judicial custody, which will last until September 21.