New Delhi: AAP MLA Somnath Bharti was arrested here early today, hours after he surrendered in connection with the attempt to murder and domestic violence case filed by his wife.
“He was arrested around 4 am,” Dependra Pathak, Joint Commissioner of Police (Southwest) said. Bharti, who evaded arrest for nearly a week, had surrendered last night hours after the Supreme Court ordered him to give himself up in the domestic violence and attempt to murder case filed by his wife.
The FIR against the former Delhi Law Minister was registered at Dwarka North police station following a
complaint by his wife Lipika Mitra.
“There was a warrant and I was availing legal remedies till the Honourable Supreme Court directed me to surrender. In compliance with the direction, I am here to surrender,” Bharti had said.
A lawyer for Bharti had said last night that the legislator’s father was unwell and that is why he could not surrender last evening as directed by the apex court. Bharti was ‘avoiding’ and not ‘evading’ police, he had said.
AAP had asked its Malviya Nagar MLA to surrender ‘immediately’ to avoid ‘further embarrassment’ to the party and himself.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had termed his party colleague as an ’embarrassment’.
Bharti had failed to get relief from the Supreme Court as it rejected his plea that he be given time till tomorrow to surrender.
“We want him to surrender before appropriate jurisdiction of the police. We don’t intend to pass any further order,” a bench comprising Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy had said.
