Somnath Bharti doesn't appear before DCW, flies kites instead

New Delhi: Controversial Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti on Friday failed to appear before the Delhi Commission for Women and instead sent his lawyers who had a public spat with panel chief Barkha Singh after she refused to entertain them.

DCW had summoned Bharti following allegations that the Delhi minister led a group of AAP workers who misbehaved with a number of African women on the pretext of a raid on an alleged drug and prostitution ring in South Delhi last week.

The Law Minister was asked to depose before the commission this afternoon to explain the charges against him but he sent his lawyers, who said he was absent due to “some urgencies”. However, the minister was seen attending a kite festival in the city and laughed off questions on why he didn’t appear before the commission.

DCW Chief Barkha Singh said the Commission had asked the minister to depose before it and would not accept explanation of his lawyers.

One of Bharti’s lawyers Rishikesh Kumar said Singh did not allow them to put across his point on the issue. “I have been asked by Somnath Bharti to represent him in today’s proceeding. I came here at 3 pm and as I entered inside I saw many camerapersons were already present there. So I said that it’s already 3 o’clock and we have been sent by Bharti to represent him,” he said

“We were told lawyers cannot represent. I said I have got the instructions. I have got the authorisation and can you please let me speak? Then she said no, you are a lawyer. But I kept saying that we have a humble submission. I told her that because of some urgencies Bharti might not be able to attend today’s hearing,” Kumar said.

The AAP had on Thursday decided to back Bharti and to await the findings of a judicial inquiry before any action can be taken against him.

However, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal disapproved of the language used by Bharti against senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley and noted lawyer Harish Salve and asked him not to use foul language in public discourse.

Kumar said Bharti will file a written reply as the minister had received four separate compliants by four different women.

“We are going through the letters of complaints and will soon file a written reply because we have got the notice and we don’t want to evade the due process of law and duly authorised representative can speak on behalf of the law minister. That’s what we are trying do but there was already a lot of chaos,” he said.

PTI with additional inputs