Swatantra Bharadwaj Sent To 14 Days Judicial Custody In CJP Protest Assault Case

New Delhi: Patiala House Court on Monday sent self-styled social media influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with an alleged assault case involving Sanjay Azad, father of teenage Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist Nishu Azad.

Bharadwaj, who was earlier remanded to one day of police custody, will now be produced before the court on September 21, according to news agency IANS.

The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler after Bharadwaj was produced before the court following the expiry of his one-day police custody, Live Law reported. Delhi Police had sought a 14-day extension of his custody.

The court noted that police had cited a possible law-and-order issue as the reason for producing Bharadwaj through video conferencing.

Bharadwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr on Friday, hours after the CJP staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest in connection with the alleged assault.

Following his detention, Delhi Police added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR against Bharadwaj over the alleged assault on the minor activist's father. A POCSO case has also been registered against him.

Bharadwaj came into focus after a video podcast in which he allegedly claimed to have assaulted the father of a CJP protester went viral. He also allegedly boasted about his political connections during the podcast.

According to The Indian Express, Kumar suffered a head injury during the alleged assault. Police initially described the injuries as simple in nature.