Somnath Bharti's judicial custody extended till 19 Oct, moves bail application

New Delhi: The judicial custody of controversial AAP MLA and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti was extended by a fortnight on Monday, as he moved a bail plea before a court here in an alleged domestic violence case lodged by his wife. Hours earlier, the Supreme Court had disposed of his anticipatory bail plea and asked him to move the trial court for regular bail, even as his estranged wife, Lipika Mitra, told the apex court she was not willing for mediation to settle the domestic violence and attempt to murder case. The bail plea filed by Bharti, whose judicial custody was on Monday extended till 19 October by another court, will be heard on Tuesday by Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Anil Kumar. [caption id=“attachment_2448576” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Somnath Bharti. Image courtesy: Facebook[/caption] Earlier, Metropolitan Magistrate Manika extended his judicial custody by 14 days on the application of Delhi Police stating that there was apprehension that Bharti might threaten and influence witnesses. During the hearing, Bharti told the magistrate that he has not been provided food since morning in the lock-up inside the court premises, leading the court to issue notice to the authorities and the jail superintendent seeking a response. Bharti, who was produced before the court, also said he wanted to write a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that his rights were being violated. The court asked him to approach the jail authorities in this regard. Soon after his judicial custody was extended, Bharti moved a bail plea before District and Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur, who listed it for hearing tomorrow before the ASJ. The 41-year-old MLA was yesterday sent to a day’s judicial custody after the investigating agency said it did not seek his further custody. Earlier in the day, the apex court disposed of Bharti’s anticipatory bail plea after his wife Lipika refused to undergo mediation. A bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu took note of Lipika’s statement and disposed of the MLA’s petition saying it has now become infructuous as the petitioner has already surrendered. The AAP MLA was arrested in the wee hours on 29 September after the Supreme Court ordered him to surrender. Bharti had on 23 September moved the apex court seeking protection from arrest in the case and a direction to restrain the police from arresting him till his plea challenging the High Court order was decided. The Supreme Court, however, had on 1 October denied interim bail to AAP MLA and sought the presence of his wife before it on Monday sought to explore the possibility of mediation. On 22 September, the Delhi High Court had rejected Bharti’s plea for anticipatory bail, observing that the allegations against him were backed by “documentary proof”. Terming the allegations against the legislator by his wife as “very serious”, the court had said she has been tolerating his “cruelty” and “brutal assault”. Dismissing his plea for protection from arrest in the case, the court had said that being an MLA, he should have shown more “generosity and responsibility towards his wife and children”. PTI