The nine-day escape drama enacted by former Delhi law Minister Somnath Bharti and his subsequent antics failed to cut ice with the court on Tuesday after the Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) of Dwarka court sent him to two days police remand in a domestic violence and attempt to murder case filed against him by his estranged wife lipika Mitra.
Police that sought five days custody of 41-year-old Bharti— who had surrendered before police on Monday evening—said he was required for custodial interrogation as he has been evading arrest. He was also needed for recovery of a knife, some jewellery and other articles related to the case.
Bharti was on the run after the Delhi High Court rejected his bail application last week, seeking a cancellation of the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued by a lower court against him. He again filed a bail application through his lawyer in the Supreme Court requesting for the cancellation of the NBW. Instead, the Supreme Court questioned his behavior and ordered him to surrender and advised him to “behave like a responsible citizen”.
Counsel for Delhi Police Shailendra Babbar, while seeking the remand of Bharti also demanded the recovery of ‘Don’, Bharti’s pet dog. “As a dog respects the command of his master, it is very pertinent to get a veterinary expert to examine the dog in order to ascertain whether the marks present on the complainant’s (lipika) body are of the dog and whether the particular dog is capable of biting or not,” he said.
According to lipika, AAP MlA Bharti had unleashed his dog on her when she was pregnant and was bitten by it.
Also, police sought the identification of people involved in harbouring Bharti when he was on the run.
Claiming to be falsely implicated in the case, the Delhi MlA who is also a lawyer stated in the court that he is a person of poor financial means. “I told my wife that you stay in Dwarka and I will stay in Malviya Nagar for the sake of our son. She threatened that she will slit her wrist and then she started accusing me that I have slashed her wrist with a knife,” Bharti said. He also denied the whereabouts of the jewellery which lipika is claiming to get back. The court meanwhile quashed all the arguments of Bharti and his counsel and ordered for Bharti’s custody, the recovery of the alleged knife with which he slit her wrist, the jewellery, and the examination of the dog by a vet expert.
The MlA has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 307 (attempt to murder), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 417 (punishment for cheating), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt), 498a (husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).
