Quota reform YouTuber Ajeet Bharti denied pre-arrest bail in SC/ST Act case

YouTuber Ajeet Bharti, among the voices calling for a reform in caste-based reservation, has been denied anticipatory bail by a Delhi court in a case filed under the SC/ST Act. Delhi Police said that a case had been registered didn't mean Bharti would be arrested.Ajeet Bharti is the face of the campaign demanding reforms in reservation. (Image: Ajeetbharti.in)A Delhi court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of YouTuber and reservation reform activist Ajeet Bharti in a case registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, reported news agency PTI.In August, a case under the Act was registered against Bharti in Delhi's North Avenue police station following a complaint by the Delhi unit president of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), led by Nagina MP Chandrasekhar Azad.According to news agency PTI, during the proceedings on Monday, Bharti's advocate contended that he did not make any casteist slur and had instead responded to a grave provocation against his family member.Delhi Police told the court that Ajeet Bharti's anticipatory bail plea was not maintainable, according to a report by Bar and Bench. Police said there shouldn't be any apprehension that just because a case had been registered, he would be arrested, it reported. Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh, however, dismissed Bharti's plea.A detailed order is awaited and is anticipated to be made available by Monday evening, reported Bar and Bench.AZAD'S PARTY LEADER LODGED FIR AGAINST AJIT BHARTI AFTER JANTAR MANTAR PROTEST The complaint stemmed from a clip taken from Bharti's August 22 YouTube broadcast titled "SB79: Reservation Hatao Andolan Nautanki & More | Saptahik Bakaiti", in which he was accused of making casteist, abusive and objectionable remarks.Bharti, then, denied using a casteist word against Azad. He had then called the FIR "pressure-driven", and claimed the case "would not stand in court for even two minutes".Ajeet Bharti is among the influencers who amplified online campaigns to reform caste-based reservations and the now-stayed UGC equity regulations, which he said "unfairly targetted the upper-castes".Bharti's remarks came a day after thousands from "the upper castes" had gathered at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar in a show of strength by groups opposing the now-stayed UGC equity norms and seeking reforms in caste-based reservations.YOUTUBE LIVE STREAM THAT LED TO CASE AGAINT AJEET BHARTIResponding to a live-chat during his YouTube interaction, a user had commented that, "Ajeet Bharti, get your sister married to MP Chandrashekhar and reservation will end," replying to the comment, Bharti said he would not get his sister married to "a fool like Chandrashekhar".He referred to the caste term "chamar" and made derogatory remarks about the Nagina MP's appearance, saying he "wasn't even worth spitting on."Ajeet Bharti, a YouTuber and reservation reform activist, then made a series of sexually explicit and abusive comments directed at the commenter's sister and mother.He also invoked BR Ambedkar's marriage to a Brahmin woman, saying the Dalit-rights champion had earned his degrees without reservation. Bharti further called those commenting against him "a bunch of idiots" and said, "I am going to teach you this everyday."The SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is a stringent law intended to protect Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from caste-based humiliation, violence, discrimination and social or economic exclusion. Its provisions can carry imprisonment, restrictions on anticipatory bail in applicable cases, and require prompt investigation.- EndsPublished By: Avinash KateelPublished On: Sep 7, 2026 16:23 IST