Delhi court rejects Ajeet Bharti's anticipatory bail

A Delhi court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of YouTuber Ajeet Bharti, who faces charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act. The case stems from alleged derogatory and casteist remarks made in a YouTube video published on August 22. The Patiala House Court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler, dismissed Bharti's plea after reviewing submissions from his counsel and the Delhi Police. The judge stated that the material on record prima facie disclosed the ingredients of an offense under the SCST Act, which precludes the grant of anticipatory bail. The First Information Report against Bharti was registered on August 23 at the North Avenue police station following a complaint by Balakram Bauddh, Delhi State President of the Azad Samaj Party Kanshi Ram. The complaint, filed over a video titled "SB79 Reservation Hatao Andolan Nautanki More Saptahik Bakaiti," alleged that Bharti made caste-based, abusive, humiliating, and sexually degrading statements about Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Azad, who also leads the Azad Samaj Party and the Bhim Army, and about BR Ambedkar.