Somnath Bharti, police asked to file responses

The Delhi high court on Tuesday asked AAP MLA Somnath Bharti and the police to file their responses, acting on a plea by his wife Lipika seeking cancellation of his bail in a domestic violence case.

The court issued notices to Mr Bharti and the Delhi police directing them to file their reply by February 16. Lipika has sought cancellation of his bail, granted on October 7, on several grounds, including that the trial court has not applied its mind while granting relief to the former minister.

She claimed that the bail order was almost like a verdict and the trial court had relied on the case diary to do so, which allegedly should not have been done at that stage.

The AAP leader’s estranged wife had lodged a case of domestic violence and attempt to murder. On September 29, the AAP leader was arrested in the wee hours after the Supreme Court ordered him to surrender.

The trial court had granted him relief, saying he was no longer required for investigation purposes and observed that since he was a member of the Delhi Assembly, there was no ground to agree with the apprehensions of the police that he may flee abroad.

Several conditions were imposed on him by the court including that he would not leave Delhi without its prior permission, not tamper with evidence and join the probe as and when required.

It had also directed Mr Bharti to report his presence once a week in the office of DCP (south west) till the time charge sheet in the case was filed.

The HC had rejected Mr Bharti’s plea for anticipatory bail on September 22, observing that the allegations against him were backed by “documentary proof.”