New Delhi, Sep 15 A Delhi court, which on Tuesday granted three weeks' interim bail to Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, issued a slew of directions to the city police regarding its probe in the assault case.
"Being a Special Court under the (SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, the investigating agency is directed to conduct the investigation expeditiously. Without prejudice to the discretion of the investigating officer (IO) to take any other step permissible in law, he shall in particular: Collect and preserve CCTV footage of the Jantar Mantar protest site, particularly at or around the place of incident for June 23, 2026, from all available government and private sources," the judge said.
The court also directed the retrieval of any video or photos taken by the Delhi Police personnel deployed at the protest that day, including surveillance footage of the incident; obtaining the call detail records and tower location data of the accused from the start of the protest until his arrest; getting subscriber details, uploading logs, IP addresses and original files from the platforms or channels hosting the disputed podcast; and ensuring that data is preserved.
"Examine the person who manages or operates that channel, and establish the source, date and circumstances of the recording; send the pen drive, the podcast and the videos relied upon by both sides for forensic examination, to determine whether they are genuine or have been morphed or artificially generated, and obtain certification as required under Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 wherever required," the court said.
It also directed identification of individuals responsible for sending threatening or abusive messages to the complainant and his daughter, and to ascertain if any sender is linked to Bhardwaj.
The court also sought a report on the whereabouts of co-accused Suraj Kumar and the progress in identifying other associates, besides a follow-up on the opinion of the Medical Board.
"On the next date of hearing, the IO (investigating officer) shall file a status report addressing each of the above points. The report shall also cover the conduct of the applicant during the period of interim bail, including any social media activity attributable to him, and the action taken on the threats reported by the complainant and his minor daughter," the court said.
It said that the complainant and the IO are at liberty to bring any breach of any bail conditions to the notice of the court immediately, without waiting for the next date, so that the interim bail may be reviewed or recalled.
"The application for regular bail shall remain pending and shall be considered on the next date in the light of the applicant's conduct and the status report," the court said.
