New Delhi, 16 September (H.S.): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on YouTuber Ajeet Bharti’s anticipatory bail plea in a case registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Justice Saurabh Banerjee watched the allegedly objectionable video during the hearing.

During the hearing, when the court was informed that the FIR had been registered on August 23, it questioned the Delhi Police as to why no notice had been issued to Bharti and whether his interrogation was required. Appearing for the Delhi Police, the counsel submitted that the investigating officer had obtained Bharti’s address only two days earlier and had subsequently been able to reach him.

The case originated from an FIR lodged on August 23 at North Avenue Police Station by Balakram Bauddh, Delhi state president of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), against Ajeet Bharti under the SC/ST Act. The FIR also invoked Section 67 of the Information Technology Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The complaint concerned a video uploaded on Bharti’s social media account.

According to Bauddh’s complaint, Bharti allegedly used caste-based and abusive language. The complaint also alleged that Bharti made objectionable remarks about Dr B.R. Ambedkar in the video. It further alleged that he used derogatory language against women and allegedly issued threats. Bharti, however, has publicly defended his remarks, stating that they were made in response to abusive comments directed at his mother and sister in connection with his video.

In his anticipatory bail plea, Bharti has contended that his remarks followed what he described as serious provocation by an individual who allegedly commented that his married sister should marry another person, Chandrashekhar Azad, also known as Ravan. The plea states that Bharti’s remarks were made as a response to the provocation. It also rejects the allegation that Bharti made remarks against Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar