Swatantra Bhardwaj's lawyer claimed on Sunday that the 21-year-old faces the risk of being attacked in jail by "anti-national elements". This comes after Bhardwaj was arrested for the alleged assault of a student activist's father during a protest at Jantar Mantar.
Earlier, Bhardwaj was remanded to one-day police custody by a Delhi court on Saturday after Delhi Police arrested him for allegedly severely injuring a 38-year-old man, who was accompanied by his 14-year-old daughter, during protests at Jantar Mantar in June, according to a previous HT report.
Following this, a Delhi court on Sunday sent Bhardwaj to one-day judicial custody in connection with the assault case.
Deep Dive
What charges have been filed against Swatantra Bhardwaj in relation to the Jantar Mantar incident?
Why is there a concern for Swatantra Bhardwaj's safety while in jail?
How did Swatantra Bhardwaj's statements during a podcast impact his legal situation?
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'Swatantra Bhardwaj could be attacked while in jail': claims advocate
Speaking on the legal proceedings to news agency ANI, Bhardwaj’s advocate, Piyush Jain, stated that the police initially produced the accused via video conferencing to secure the one-day remand.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on the legal proceedings to news agency ANI, Bhardwaj’s advocate, Piyush Jain, stated that the police initially produced the accused via video conferencing to secure the one-day remand.
{{/usCountry}}"Yesterday, the police produced Swatantra Bharadwaj via video conferencing and obtained one day of police custody," he said.
"The matter is currently before the Duty Metropolitan Magistrate (MM), who lacks the authority to hear bail applications. Consequently, the Duty MM will simply remand him to judicial custody. The actual hearing regarding the case will take place in the special designated court for SC/ST matters," he added.
Jain further said that authorities have added charges against Bhardwaj, including under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
"Additionally, we learned that another case—under the POCSO Act, was registered against him yesterday evening; that matter, too, will be heard in the relevant designated court," the advocate said.
He added, "Regarding the nature of the charges, all the allegations against him are completely fabricated. They have suddenly invoked the POCSO Act and the SC/ST Act after a gap of two months."
Claiming that the content creator faces risks of being attacked in jail, Jain urged the Central government and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta to ensure comprehensive security arrangements for Bhardwaj inside Tihar Jail.
"The most critical issue is the intent behind sending him to jail. We have received information suggesting that Swatantra Bharadwaj could be attacked while in jail; certain anti-national elements aim to attack him to send a message to the Government of India. Therefore, I urge the Government of India and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta to ensure that comprehensive security arrangements are made for him within Tihar Jail."
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These claims by the content creator's advocate come just days after Delhi Police detained Bhardwaj from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr and added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR registered over the alleged assault.
An FIR under the POCSO Act was also registered based on a complaint by the minor activist, who alleged that she was subjected to online threats and harassment, news agency PTI reported.
The report said Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on Friday after the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protested outside the Parliament Street police station, demanding his arrest.
What is the case about
The police action came amid backlash over a video podcast in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had "cracked the skull" of the father of a minor activist during the June 23 protest. He also reportedly maintained in the podcast that he had acted in self-defence.
(With inputs from agencies)