AAP MLA Somnath Bharti surrenders before police

New Delhi The hide and seek game between Delhis exlaw minister Somnath Bharti and police ended on Monday evening when he surrendered to police in a domestic violence case filed by his wife Lipika MitraThe fugitive Aam Aadmi Party AAP legislator from Malviya Nagar constituency in south Delhi reached at Dwarka North Police station hours after the Supreme Court refused his anticipatory bail plea and directed him to surrenderA bench of Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Amitabha Roy said earlier that the court will hear his anticipatory bail plea after he surrenders by 6630 pm on MondayAAP MLA Somnath Bharti shows a book of Constitution of India as he arrives to surrender at the Dwarka North Police Station in New Delhi on Monday PicPTIBharti had been named in an FIR filed at Dwarka North police station in west Delhi following a June 10 complaint by his wife who said he had been abusing her since their marriage in 2010She claimed that Bharti used to beat and torture her and once tried to kill herBharti has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code IPC relating to attempt to murder cruelty towards wife voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon criminal breach of trust attempt to cause miscarriage without womans consent cheating and criminal intimidationBharti who was accompanied by his lawyers reached the Dwarka North police station in his car at around 1010 pm and made himself available to the policeWearing a red tee Bharti flashed the Constitution ofIndia bare act which he was carrying as a huge posse of mediapersonnel mobbed his car The FIR against the former Delhi LawMinister was registered at Dwarka North police stationfollowing a complaint by hsi wife Dipika MitraThere was a warrant and I was availing legal remediestill the Honourable Supreme Court directed me to surrender Incompliance with the directionI am here to surrenderBharti said adding I was not running away from law I wasonly availing the legal remedies guaranteed by theConstitution of IndiaBharti had a tough time to get out of his car and nopolice personnel offered any assistanceThis too shall pass and truth shall prevail Bhartitweeted from an undisclosed location around an hour before hegave upA lawyer from Bharti said the legislators father wasunwell and that is why he could not surrender by evening asdirected by the apex court Bharti was avoiding and notevading police he addedSoon after Bharti failed to get relief from the SupremeCourt AAP cornered its Malviya Nagar MLA asking him tosurrender immediately to avoid further embarassment to theparty and himself Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had alsocalled his party colleague as an embarassmentBharti failed to get relief from the Supreme Court as itrejected his plea that he be given time till tomorrow tosurrenderWe want him to surrender before appropriate jurisdictionof the police by this evening We dont intend to pass anyfurther order a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu andJustice Amitava Roy said while posting the matter for hearingon ThursdayThe bench also rejected a further request by his counselthat he be given time till 7 pm to surrenderNo we will not give time If you want your matter tocome on Thursday you have to surrender today itself thebench saidBhartis counsel and senior advocate Gopal Subramaniamsubmitted that the whole incident was an outcome of thematrimonial dispute in which not only the couple but theirtwo children were also sufferersThe court should keep this in mind while hearing Bhartisappeal against the rejection of his anticipatory bail by thetrial court and the Delhi High Court he contendedHowever the bench said it was not concerned with theissue at this stage and asked how should Bharti have conductedhimself as a responsible citizen after dismissal of his pleafor anticipatory bail by the trial court and the Delhi HighCourtNot to say you have lost before two courts trial courtand High Court You went for anticipatory bail before thetrial court you did not succeed You went for anticipatorybail before the High Court you did not succeed What is yourduty as a responsible citizen the bench askedFirst you surrender then we will see whether the mattershould be referred to mediation centre We want family disputeto be sorted out but we cant be saying that we will beprotecting an absconder