A Delhi court on Monday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by YouTuber and reservation reform activist Ajeet Bharti in a case registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh rejected the application, with a comprehensive written order expected to be made available later in the day.
Arguments Before The Court
Opposing the plea during court proceedings, the Delhi Police submitted that Bharti’s petition for anticipatory bail was not maintainable. The police stated that the registration of a first information report does not automatically give rise to an apprehension of imminent arrest.
In response, legal counsel representing Bharti submitted that the activist did not use any caste-based slur. The defence argued that Bharti’s statements were delivered in the heat of the moment as a direct reaction to severe provocation aimed at his family.
Origins Of The Case
The legal proceedings stem from an FIR lodged in August at the North Avenue police station in New Delhi. The case was registered on a complaint by the Delhi unit president of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), a political organization led by Nagina Member of Parliament Chandrashekhar Azad.
The complaint cited excerpts from an August 22 live stream on Bharti’s YouTube channel, titled “SB79: Reservation Hatao Andolan Nautanki & More | Saptahik Bakaiti,” alleging that the broadcast featured abusive, derogatory, and casteist content.
Following the initial complaint, Bharti had dismissed the allegations, maintaining that he had not directed any caste-based slur toward Azad. He characterized the police complaint as pressure-driven and asserted that the charges would not withstand judicial scrutiny.
Livestream Remarks And Demonstration Background
The broadcast occurred a day after thousands of individuals gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against the now-stayed University Grants Commission equity regulations and to demand substantial reforms to India’s caste-based reservation policies. Bharti has been an active voice in online campaigns criticizing these policies, arguing that the contested UGC norms unfairly affected upper-caste communities.
During the interactive portion of the livestream, an audience member posted a chat message suggesting that Bharti should arrange his sister’s marriage to MP Chandrashekhar Azad to resolve the reservation issue.
Bharti responded by stating he would not permit such an alliance with the lawmaker, whom he referred to disparagingly. He used the caste-specific term “chamar” alongside derogatory remarks regarding the parliamentarian’s physical appearance. Bharti also made sexually explicit and abusive comments directed at the female family members of the commenter, invoked social reformer B.R. Ambedkar’s marriage and academic career, and described his detractors as foolish.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act provides strict protections against caste discrimination, abuse, and social marginalization, incorporating specific constraints regarding the granting of anticipatory bail in applicable matters.
