Warrant issued against Bharti, anticipatory bail rejected

New Delhi, Sep 14  A magistrate court here on Monday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti in a domestic violence case, as a sessions court dismissed the AAP legislator's anticipatory bail plea.

Metropolitan Magistrate Manika issued the warrant against the Aam Aadmi Party leader after police informed the court that he was not cooperating in the probe.

Meanwhile, Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to Bharti, the legislator from Malviya Nagar constituency.

As his bail plea was opposed by police, the court observed that Bharti did not mend his ways and continued to commit cruelty against his wife.

Police told the court that two notices were issued to him by police for joining the probe in the case but he was running away and not cooperating.

Police said Bharti was an "influential" person, due to which nobody was coming forward to depose against him.

Opposing Bharti's bail plea, public prosecutor Shailendra Babbar said the allegations against him were serious in nature.

He said Bharti's custody was required to recover some materials and his pet dog which had attacked his wife Lipika Mitra.

Lipika Mitra in her complaint alleged that in March 2013, Bharti physically abused her, tried to strangulate her and ordered his dog to attack her, due to which she suffered multiple injuries.

Police said the dog was brought up by the AAP leader and it only obeys his command.

On Bharti's instruction, the dog attacked Lipika, police said.

However, Bharti's counsel Vijay Aggarwal asked who will interrogate the dog and record its statement.

Aggarwal said the dog will never attack any member of the family on the instruction of its owner.

He said that as Bharti was a legislator, there was no chance of him absconding.

His client still wanted to support his wife and children and was ready for mediation.

As the court asked Bharti's wife whether she wants to have mediation, Lipika Mitra said she does not want to reconcile with Bharti as he may abuse her again.

She said that although she loves Bharti, her husband neither cared for her nor her children.

Bharti was last week named in a first information report (FIR) filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including domestic violence and attempt to murder, at Dwarka North police station in west Delhi.

Police said they filed the FIR following the June 10 complaint by Bharti's wife, who said the AAP leader has been abusing her ever since their marriage in 2010. She also claimed that Bharti beat and tortured her and once even tried to kill her.