AAP MLA Somnath Bharti arrested

Bharti, who evaded arrest for nearly a week, surrendered last night after an SC order

AAP MLA Somnath Bharti was arrested here early today, hours after he surrendered in connection with a domestic violence and attempt to murder 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, surrendered last night, hours after the Supreme Court ordered him to give himself up.

The MLA has been arrested under various sections of the 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, said Pathak.

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 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 H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy had said.