SC to hear Somnath Bharti's bail plea on Monday

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Monday the bail plea of AAP MLA Somnath Bharti seeking protection from arrest in a domestic violence and attempt to murder case in which the Delhi high court has rejected his petition for anticipatory bail.

A bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy fixed the matter for hearing on September 28 after senior advocate Pramod Swaroop, appearing for Bharti, mentioned the petition before it.

Bharti had yesterday moved the apex court seeking protection from arrest in the case and a direction to restrain Delhi Police from arresting him till his plea challenging the High Court order is decided.

The High Court had dismissed his anticipatory bail plea, saying the allegations against him were backed by "documentary proof".

Terming the allegations against former Delhi Law Minister Bharti by his wife, Lipika Mitra, as "very serious", Justice Suresh Kait of the high court had said she has been tolerating his "cruelty" and "brutal assault".

Dismissing his plea for protection from arrest, the high court had said that being an MLA, he should have shown more "generosity and responsibility towards his wife and children".

Lipika had filed a complaint of domestic violence with Delhi Commission for Women on June 10 alleging that her husband had been abusing her since their marriage in 2010. She had also given a complaint to the police in this regard.

Delhi Police then registered an FIR against Bharti under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 498A (cruelty towards wife), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 313 read with 511 (attempt to cause miscarriage without woman's consent), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.