Police take Somnath Bharti to a Delhi court.

IANS
New Delhi



A New Delhi court yesterday sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti, arrested in a domestic violence case registered by his wife, to two days in police custody.
Police, while seeking custody of the former law minister, told the court that Bharti’s presence was required while having his dog examined by an expert.
Metropolitan Magistrate Manika allowed the police to question the AAP legislator from Malviya Nagar in its custody till tomorrow.
“The dog in question is admitted to be a pet of the accused. Therefore its examination will be best in the presence of the accused,” the court said.
The court said two days were sufficient for the police to examine his dog and recover the materials.
Seeking Bharti’s custody, the police said they needed to recover the knife with which he allegedly slit the wrist of his wife Lipika Mitra. They said they also needed to recover jewellery belonging to her.
The police also said Bharti’s presence was required during the examination of his dog by a veterinary expert to verify whether the animal followed his commands or not.
Lipika Mitra had claimed Bharti’s dog attacked her at his behest and that she received injuries on various parts of her body.
The dog follows the commands of its master and it has to be ascertained whether it is capable of biting anyone on the instructions of his owner, Special Public Prosecutor Shailendra Babbar said.
The prosecutor also exhibited photographs, medical reports related to injuries of Lipika Mitra and the mail she wrote to Bharti after the incident.
Babbar’s plea was opposed by Bharti’s defence counsel Vijay Aggarwal, who said the police had enough time to examine the dog.
The defence counsel also said the jewellery was in the possession of Lipika and Bharti did not know about its whereabouts.
Aggarwal also said that the police have enough time to recover the articles which they did not do.
Bharti even took the dog to the police station for its examination, he added.
Countering it, the prosecutor raised doubts over the conduct of Bharti and his sudden appearance on September 16 in a police station and said that the investigation could not be conducted on the directions of the accused.
Police said Bharti was on the run for 20 days and he could not expect swift action from police in a single day.
Bharti, who surrendered to police on Monday evening, was named in a case following a June 10 complaint by his wife, who said he had been abusing her since their marriage in 2010.
She claimed Bharti used to beat and torture her and once even tried to kill her.
Bharti has been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to attempt to murder, cruelty towards wife, voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, criminal breach of trust, attempt to cause miscarriage without the woman’s consent, cheating and criminal intimidation.

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