Bharti moves Delhi HC for anticipatory bail

Former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti, booked in a domestic violence case on his wife's complaint, approached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday for anticipatory bail.

Bharti's counsel Vijay Aggarwal mentioned the matter before a division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Jayant Nath and sought urgent hearing of the plea. The court posted the matter post-lunch before an appropriate bench.

On Monday, a trial court issued non-bailable warrants against Bharti in a domestic violence case after police informed it that he was not cooperating in the probe. The trial court also dismissed the AAP legislator's anticipatory bail plea.

Police told the court that Bharti, a legislator from Malviya Nagar constituency, was an "influential" person, due to which nobody was coming forward to depose against him.

Police said Bharti's custody was required to recover some material and his pet dog that allegedly attacked his wife Lipika Mitra.

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

A first information report (FIR) was filed against Bharti under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for 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 had been abusing her ever since they married in 2010. She also claimed that Bharti beat and tortured her and once even tried to kill her.