Order for 2-yr jail to Somnath upheld

New Delhi: A Delhi court Tuesday upheld an order sentencing AAP MLA Somnath Bharti to two years in jail for assaulting the AIIMS security staff in a case registered in 2016. After the pronouncement of the order, Bharti was taken into custody, a lawyer said. A magistrate court had in January sentenced him to two years in jail.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull partly dismissed Bharti's appeal and convicted him for the offences under sections 147 (rioting) read with 149 (unlawful assembly) of IPC and under section 3 (mischief causing damage to public property) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The court, however, set aside his conviction under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) read with section 149 of IPC.

In January, Bharti was granted bail to enable him to file an appeal before the high court against his conviction in the case and jail term. According to the prosecution, on September 9, 2016, Bharti, along with nearly 300 others, brought down the fence of a boundary wall at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here with a JCB operator.

The case was lodged on the basis of a complaint from R S Rawat, Chief Security Officer, AIIMS.