Court grants bail to AAP MLA Somnath Bharti

New Delhi: AAP MLA and former law minister Somnath Bharti was on Wednesday granted bail by a city court in a domestic violence and attempt to murder case lodged against him by his wife.

"Bail application allowed," Additional Sessions Judge Anil Kumar said. The court which had reserved its order on the bail plea on Tuesday, directed Bharti to furnish Rs one lakh personal bond and one surety of like amount. The court also directed Bharti not to leave the country without its prior permission and join the probe as and when called.

During arguments on his bail plea, the Aam Aadmi Party legislator had on Tuesday said the case against him was politically motivated and had dubbed it as a "BJP-sponsored litigation".

Bharti's counsel Vijay Aggarwal had claimed it was a case of an "on-and-off relationship" which was blown out of proportion due to political motives.

Special Public Prosecutor Shailendra Babbar who had opposed Bharti's bail plea had argued that the legislator had tried to misuse the liberty when he was not in police custody.

He had termed Bharti's conduct as "very dubious" and said he may influence the witnesses and hamper the probe which is at primitive stage, if he was granted bail.

Bharti had moved the bail plea after the Supreme Court had disposed of his anticipatory bail plea and asked him to approach the trial court for regular bail. His estranged wife had told the apex court that she was not willing for mediation to settle the domestic violence and attempt to murder case. Bharti is in judicial custody till October 19.

The AAP MLA was arrested in the wee hours on September 29 after the apex court ordered him to surrender. Bharti had on September 23 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 October 1 denied interim bail to AAP MLA and sought the presence of his wife before it to explore the possibility of mediation.

On September 22, the Delhi High Court had rejected Bharti's plea for anticipatory bail, observing that the allegations against him were backed by "documentary proof".