Absconding Aam Aadmi Party legislator Somnath Bharti surrendered at a police station here late on Monday evening in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court which had rejected his anticipatory bail plea earlier in the day.
The former Delhi Law Minister, who has been evading arrest in a domestic violence and attempt-to-murder case registered by his wife, Lipika Mitra, had initially sought reconciliation with her. His wife had even accused him of letting loose his dog on her.
Earlier, a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice H. L. Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy directed the Malviya Nagar MLA to surrender before the police if he sought reconciliation at the end of the day.
“Don't run away like this... First surrender and then we will take up your matter on Thursday [October 1],” Chief Justice Dattu told Mr. Bharti’s counsel and senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam.
The Bench rejected the plea of his counsel that Mr. Bharti be given time till Tuesday to surrender. “No, we will not give time. If you want your matter to come up on Thursday, you have to surrender today itself,” the Bench said, while rejecting a further request that he be given time till 6-30 p.m. to surrender.
The MLA had approached the apex court on September 23 evening, the same day that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted asking why Mr. Bharti was not surrendering to the police.
The Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed his anticipatory bail plea saying the allegations against him were backed by “documentary proof”. Terming the allegations made by Lipika “very serious”, the High Court had said she was a victim of his “cruelty” and “brutal assaults”.
Meanwhile, senior police officers told The Hindu that Mr. Bharti, who rushed to the Capital and surrendered around 10.30 p.m. heeding the advice of the apex court, would be questioned for several hours, possibly till dawn. He would then be taken for a medical examination at the nearest government hospital before being formally placed under arrest.
