Delhi court denies anticipatory bail to Somnath Bharti in domestic violence case

New Delhi: AAP leader and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti was denied anticipatory bail on Tuesday by a Delhi court, which termed the plea as "pre-mature" in a case of domestic violence filed against him by his wife.

Additional Sessions Judge Paramjeet Singh dismissed Bharti's plea, saying since there was no FIR or any apprehension of arrest, the application was premature.

Soon after the dismissal of his plea, the AAP leader said, "My sole purpose was to attract court's attention over the matter so that it could be referred for mediation as the issue revolves around the lives of two infants."

Last month, the politician's wife Lipika Bharti had filed a complaint with Delhi Commission for Women accusing him of domestic violence and mental torture since 2010.

"Me and my children are subject to harassment and torture, mental, physical and oral by my husband Somnath Bharti. There is a persistent threat from my husband and his supporters," Lipika, who is reportedly living in Dwarka separately for last three years, said in her complaint.

She had said, "It would be difficult for me to summarise all these. It's going on for a long time. It has been going on since 2010. I want separation, I want to be out from this marriage. I want to live with dignity with my children. It has been a continuous process which I was going through." Bharti was the Law Minister during AAP's first stint of 49 days.

He had courted controversy for an alleged crackdown on a prostitution ring in his constituency during his ministership.