A trial court here will take up the proceedings against controversial AAP leader Somnath Bharti in a domestic violence case on May 20, over a year after the charge sheet was filed in the matter.
The proceedings will assume importance as the police today filed a report in the Delhi High Court claiming that Bharti’s wife was subjected to cruelty and even saying that an AIIMS report had opined that the injuries sustained by her were due to dog bite and burns.
The AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar Assembly, who is out on bail, faces allegations of cruelly treating his wife Lipika Mitra, trying to kill her and endangering the life of an unborn child which his wife was carrying by unleashing his dog on her.
The trial court had on April 5, 2016 taken cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police against Bharti, who was granted bail on October 7, 2015, alleging he unleashed his dog on Lipika which “bit her badly”. It was alleged that she was in an advance stage of pregnancy.
Seeking cancellation of his bail, the police today told the high court that Bharti “used to harass, beat and abuse” his wife from the very beginning of the marriage, “despite having knowledge about her frail health conditions” and cited a report of AIIMS saying scars on her body were “due to dog bite and burns.”
In the final report, which was filed by the police nearly seven months after lodging of the FIR against him on September 9, 2015, the police had listed 56 prosecution witnesses to substantiate the case.
The police had said there was sufficient evidence on record for alleged offences for attempt to murder, act done with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth, causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means against the MLA.
Further, the police said there was a case of alleged dowry harassment and criminal breach of trust alongwith the charge of cheating and criminal intimidation against him under the Indian Penal Code.
The trial court had granted bail to Bharti on the ground that he was no longer required for investigation purpose and since he was a member of Delhi Legislative Assembly, there was no ground of apprehension that he may flee abroad.
However, the trial court had imposed several conditions on him, including that he would not leave Delhi without its prior permission, not tamper with evidence and join the probe as and when required.
The MLA, who had surrendered before the Delhi Police following Supreme Court orders on September 28, 2015, had denied the allegations of the charge sheet and had claimed in a statement that it was “a mockery of investigation”.
“The dog attack is alleged to have happened on March 19, 2013. There is neither a MLC, nor a police case for two and a half years and police made it a basis to slap me with sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 315 (act done with intent to prevent child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth) of IPC. They have (made) a mockery to investigation,” Bharti had said last year when the charge sheet was filed.
( Source – PTI )
