HC allows Somnath Bharti, his wife to settle matrimonial dispute

The Delhi High Court today allowed AAP leader Somnath Bharti to settle the matrimonial dispute with his wife through mediation.

Justice Anu Malhotra sent the couple to mediation after they expressed willingness to settle their differences. Bharti has been facing a domestic violence case.

The couple has to appear before the mediator on April 9.

The court's direction came on Bharti's plea for allowing him to mediate the issue with his wife -- Lipika Mitra.

The AAP MLA submitted that he was willing to settle the domestic dispute with his wife and hence they should be allowed to sit together in mediation.

Advocate Rahul Kumar, representing Mitra, said they have no difficulty in mediation and can explore the possibility of arriving at an amicable settlement.

Bharti, former Delhi law minister, had moved the application in a pending plea filed by his wife against the trial court's October 7, 2015 order granting him bail in the domestic violence case lodged by her.

The investigators had on April 5, 2016 filed a charge sheet before the trial court in the case, claiming that the woman had alleged that Bharti had endangered the life of an unborn child she was carrying, by unleashing his dog on her.

The MLA from Malviya Nagar assembly, who was granted bail in October 2015 after being in jail for eight days, had denied the allegations.

Mitra had on June 10, 2015 lodged a complaint against him with the Delhi Commission for Women and an FIR was lodged by the police on September 9, 2015 for allegedly subjecting her to domestic violence and trying to kill her.

The AAP leader was arrested in the wee hours of September 29, 2015 after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender.

The trial court had granted bail to Bharti on the ground that he was no longer required for investigation and observing that since he was a member of Delhi Assembly, there was no ground of apprehension that he may flee.