A Delhi court granted regular bail to Swatantra Bhardwaj on October 6 in a case involving an alleged assault at a Jantar Mantar protest. The detailed order was awaited.
A Delhi court granted regular bail on October 6 to Swatantra Bhardwaj in a case concerning the alleged assault of a student activist’s father during a Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar. Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler passed the order after Bhardwaj had spent three weeks on interim bail, according to PTI reports carried by ThePrint and The Hindu.
The court granted interim bail on September 15 and said it would consider Bhardwaj’s conduct before deciding his regular-bail plea. Conditions barred public discussion of the case, his defence or the complainant’s family. They also prohibited contact with the complainant, his daughter or witnesses and interference with evidence.
The allegations remain unproven. The bail decision is not a finding on whether an assault occurred or who was responsible. The detailed order was awaited when the reports were published. The court had earlier cautioned that bail was “not a trophy to be displayed” and warned against public celebration of the release.