New Delhi, Sep 18: Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was released from Tihar Jail late Thursday night, three days after a Delhi court granted him three weeks’ interim bail in connection with the alleged assault on the father of a student activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar, officials said on Friday.
In a video, Bhardwaj was seen quickly moving towards a waiting car outside the jail, where he left with his associates. On September 15, a Delhi court granted Bhardwaj interim bail for three weeks, saying it would consider his plea for regular bail after observing his conduct during that period. The sessions court imposed several conditions while granting relief, including barring him from posting, publishing or discussing the case, his defence or the complainant’s family on social media or any media platform.
The court also restrained him from contacting the complainant, his daughter, any witness, or tampering with evidence. The court observed that “bail is an expression of the court’s trust, and it is not a trophy to be displayed”, while cautioning against public celebrations following release on bail.
Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on September 4, hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protested outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest over the alleged assault.
The action followed outrage over an interview in which Bhardwaj claimed he had “cracked the skull” of the student activist’s father during the June 23 protest and escaped arrest because of his political connections.
He was remanded to judicial custody on September 7 and lodged in Tihar Jail. The matter is scheduled to come up before the court on October 6 for further proceedings. (PTI)
