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Somnath Bharti

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Somnath Bharti (born 10 May 1974)[1] is an Indian politician and lawyer.

Somnath Bharti
Somnath Bharti
Member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 December 2013
Preceded byKiran Walia
ConstituencyMalviya Nagar
Personal details
Born (1974-05-10) 10 May 1974 (age 50)
Nawada, Bihar, India
Political partyAam Aadmi Party
SpouseLipika (m. 2010)[2]
Children2
Residence(s)New Delhi, India
EducationM.Sc. Mathematics (IIT Delhi)
LLB (University of Delhi)
OccupationLawyer, activist and politician
Websitehttp://www.somnathbharti.com

As a member of the Aam Aadmi Party, Bharti served as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Delhi from Malviya Nagar constituency. He has previously served as minister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture in the Government of Delhiminister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture in the Government of Delhi, from December 2013 to February 2014 in the first Arvind Kejriwal government.[3]

He was appointed Vice Chairman of Delhi Jal Board in March 2023.[4]

An IIT Delhi and Faculty of Law, Delhi University graduate, Bharti is a practicing lawyer in the Supreme Court of India[5] and Delhi High Court. Bharti first entered Delhi Assembly in the year 2013. He has represented the Malviya Nagar constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly since 2013. Somnath Bharti contested the prestigious New Delhi Lok Sabha seat against Bansuri Swaraj of BJP as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate and was supported by the INDIA alliance and secured over 3.74 lakh votes.

Early life

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Bharti was born in Baranwal Bania family at Hisua Bazar in Nawada.[6] He was educated firstly at a local school and went to Patna for intermediate education.[7] After completing his post-graduate M.Sc. Mathematics from IIT Delhi, Bharti pursued a degree in law at Delhi University.[8] He served IIT Delhi Alumni Association as its Secretary for 2007-08 and 2011–12 and as IIT Delhi Senator in 2008.[9][10]

Business career

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In the 2000s, Somnath Bharti ran a Delhi-based IT firm Madgen Solutions. The Spamhaus Project accused him of spamming on behalf of TopSites LLC, naming him in Register of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) as one of the top spam operators in the world.[11][12] According to Bharti, he was listed in ROKSO after an Open Directory Project editor Conrad Longmore ran a story on him.[13][14] Responding to a PCQuest investigation in 2005, he insisted that all the e-mails sent by his company complied with the laws and regulations. PCQuest found that he had been sued in a California Superior Court for spamming by Daniel Balsam. Balsam's attorney Timothy Walton revealed that in 2004, Bharti and two others had paid Balsam in damages apart from making a court declaration agreeing to use only confirmed opt-in e-mail addresses when sending commercial e-mails. Bharti defended himself by saying that he chose to settle because defending the case in the United States would have been costlier for him. Bharti also claimed that he was in touch with SpamHaus, but the SpamHaus CEO Steve Linford denied this to PCQuest.[13]

Activism

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In June 2012, Bharti was involved in a campaign against the alleged interference of the then Minister of Human Resources and Development, Kapil Sibal, in the Joint Entrance Examination process for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology.[5] In 2010–2013, he appeared in news for defending the rights of homeschooled children and subscribers of alternate education system in view of the binding provision of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act through Public Interest Litigations filed in Delhi High Court thrice. In response to his PILs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Development, through an affidavit, clarified that they are not against homeschooling.[15][16][17]

Law career

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In 2009, Bharti represented Vikram Buddhi. He led a movement against the abeyance of sentencing of Buddhi in the USA.[8]

Political career

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Somnath Bharti on Election Campaign

Bharti was the Aam Aadmi Party candidate for the Malviya Nagar constituency in the Delhi state assembly elections, 2013.[18] Bharti won the seat, defeating Arti Mehra of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the incumbent Kiran Walia of the Indian National Congress.[19] Walia had won the seat in 1999, 2003, and 2008[20] and had been education minister in the earlier government, while Mehra, who has represented the neighbouring Hauz Khas constituency for many years, had been Mayor of Delhi in 2007–2009. In contrast, Bharti was new to politics.[21]

He served as Chairman, Committee on Privileges of Delhi Legislative Assembly for the year 2016–17.[22] On 10 August 2018, Delhi Legislative Assembly appointed him as chairman, Committee to examine the Stray Dog and Monkey Menace in Delhi.[23] He won the 2020 Delhi Elections by 18,144 votes.[24][25] By Delhi Legislative Assembly he was appointed Chairman, Public Accounts Committee[26] (one of the three most important Committees of a legislative assembly or Indian Parliament viz. Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Govt Undertakings and Committee on Estimates), Chairman, House Committee on Violation of Protocol Norms and Contemptuous Behaviour By Government Officers with MLAs,[26] Members of Standing Committee on Education (Education; Higher Education; Training & Technical Education; Art, Culture and Language; Sports) and Committee on Govt Undertakings.[26]

Bharti was briefly Minister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture in the Government of Delhi. He was appointed on 28 December 2013 and left office on 14 February 2014 when the government of which he was a part resigned due a failure to enact a Jan Lokpal bill.[27][28]

The government's resignation, led by Arvind Kejriwal, pre-empted a personal resignation by Bharti in response to accusations of vigilantism.[29] He was elected again by the people of Malviya Nagar constituency in Feb 2015 by double the margin than the last time when Delhi gave mandate of 67 out of 70 seats in Delhi assembly to AAP. He was sent to Delhi Development Authority as a member of the Board which controls Land and development of Delhi. His work can be gauged from the fact that his efforts and continuous efforts made DDA claim their unclaimed and open to encroachers over 65000 pieces of lands across Delhi.[30]

Electoral performance

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This section is transcluded from Malviya Nagar, Delhi Assembly constituency. (edit | history)
Delhi Assembly elections, 2020: Malviya Nagar
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Somnath Bharti 52,043 57.97 +2.99
BJP Shailender Singh 33,899 37.76 −0.15
INC Neetu Verma Soin 2,856 3.18 −2.78
NOTA None of the above 549 0.61 +0.15
Majority 18,144 20.21 +3.14
Turnout 89,825 58.92 −7.63
AAP hold Swing +2.99


This section is transcluded from Malviya Nagar, Delhi Assembly constituency. (edit | history)
Delhi Assembly elections, 2015: Malviya Nagar
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Somnath Bharti 51,196 54.98 +15.55
BJP Dr. Nandini Sharma 35,299 37.91 +7.98
INC Dr. Yoganand Shastri 5,555 5.96 −19.10
BSP Dr. Suman Dharmvir 293 0.31 −0.60
Navyug Party Markandey Sharma 184 0.20
Independent Somnath 129 0.14
Independent Ramakant Sharma 74 0.08
Majority 15,897 17.07 +7.57
Turnout 93,156 66.55
Registered electors 1,39,987
AAP hold Swing +15.55


This section is transcluded from Malviya Nagar, Delhi Assembly constituency. (edit | history)
Delhi Assembly elections, 2013: Malviya Nagar[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AAP Somnath Bharti 32,258 39.43
BJP Arti Mehra 24,486 29.93 −11.07
INC Kiran Walia 20,500 25.06 −21.49
ACP Kishor 2,389 2.92
BSP Vijender 741 0.91 −9.26
SP Chahat Miyan 247 0.30
DMDK Sharmila 184 0.22
Independent Rajeev Kumar 134 0.16
PECP Rafik 129 0.16
BBP Mohd Yusuf 93 0.11
NCP Sunil Atree 88 0.11
NDP Hannan Ahmed 47 0.06
Independent Bharat Kumar Shahoo 45 0.06
ASP Kiran 36 0.04
JKNPP Prem Singh 32 0.04
LJP Javed Farooqui 30 0.04 −0.48
NOTA None 375 0.46
Majority 7,772 9.50 +3.95
Turnout 81,895 65.74
AAP gain from INC Swing


Controversies

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Evidence tampering

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Patiala House Court had in 2013 indicted Bharti for "tampering with evidence" along with his client, Pawan Kumar, in a corruption case.[32] He was asked by the Bar Council of Delhi to explain why he should not be debarred.[33]

Khirki Extension raid

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In January 2014, less than a month after being elected, Bharti mobilized his supporters and television camera crews to lead a vigilante raid in his constituency's Khirki Extension area. He had been tipped off about a drug and prostitution racket involving some African nationals operating in the area. He quarrelled with the Station House Officer, who refused to raid a house, citing a lack of a warrant. The group allegedly caught four women and forced them to undergo urine tests. The tests, conducted at AIIMS, did not find any drug traces in their system. The women alleged that they had been threatened and molested by the mob.[34]

Protests were held against Bharti and AAP's attack on African Nationals.[35] The BJP and CPM condemned Bharti's actions as racist and criticized the mob for violating the women.[36][37] AAP supported Bharti, calling the women's allegations false and stating that his actions were not racist, adding that residents had long complained of criminal activities in the area. Kejriwal demanded the suspension of the police officers who had refused to conduct the raid. A court directed the police to lodge a First Information Report against the mob, and the Delhi Commission for Women also opened an investigation into the matter.[38] Kejriwal's government came under increasing political pressure to act against Bharti in the hours before its resignation.[39] An independent judicial inquiry ordered by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi announced on 28 February 2014 that the police had been correct not to comply with Bharti's demands and that Bharti should not have taken the law into his own hands by leading the raid.[40]

Around two years later, The Hindu reported that the raid led to an "exodus" of African nationals from the area, and emboldened the locals to abuse and taunt the remaining ones more freely.[41]

Domestic violence case

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In June 2015, Bharti's wife filed a complaint against him with the Delhi Commission for Women alleging domestic violence. On 10 September 2015, Bharti surrendered at the Dwarka Police Station late at night on 29 September 2015 under directions from the Supreme Court and obtained conditional bail.[42][43][44] Bharti told a Delhi court that the couple had resolved the matrimonial dispute through mediation, however the court charged him with harassment, cheating and criminal intimidation. In May 2019, the FIR was quashed by Delhi High Court which noted that the couple are living happily together.[45][46]

Unlawful assembly at AIIMS

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In 2021, he was sentenced to two years in prison for leading a mob into AIIMS Delhi.[47] Bharti claimed that there was no evidence and the case was based on a fabricated story. Subsequently, the Delhi High Court stayed the judgment and granted him bail.[48]

References

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  1. ^ "Mr. Somnath Bharti Biography". Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  2. ^ "Domestic violence case against AAP leader Somnath Bharti". The Hindu. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Who is Somnath Bharti". Business Standard.
  4. ^ "Somnath Bharti to replace Saurabh Bharadwaj as Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman". The Times of India. 11 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Sibal broke his promise and is selling a myth to the country: Somnath Bharti". Business Standard. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Live from Bapu Shabhagar of Baranwal Mahasamelan". News4Nation. 20 January 2019.
  7. ^ "News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News Headlines, Live News Updates". News18. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Indian student in Chicago jail alleges taunts and abuse". NRI Today. 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Somnath Bharti Biography". Elections.in. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  10. ^ Early life and background | SomnathBharti.com
  11. ^ "The ROKSO List: 200 Known Spam Operations responsible for 80% of your spam" (PDF). SpamHaus. 14 June 2005.
  12. ^ "Somnath Bharti at the root of disenchantment with AAP". Economic Times. 24 January 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Top spammer?". PCQuest. 4 August 2005.
  14. ^ Conrad Longmore. "Topsites Revisited". Dynamoo. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Notice to government on plea for amendment to Right To Education Act". The Economic Times. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  16. ^ "RTE not against home schooling and alternate education: MHRD". The Indian Express. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  17. ^ "We don't need no education". The Indian Express. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Delhi Polls: AAP Releases First List of 11 Candidates". Outlook. 15 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  19. ^ "Delhi polls: Several heavyweight Cong, BJP leaders bite dust". Deccan Chronicle. 8 December 2013. Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  20. ^ "Name". Delhiassembly.nic.in. 28 October 1944. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  21. ^ "Why the Aam Aadmi Party's Victory in Delhi Elections Is a Big Deal - India Real Time - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  22. ^ "Somnath Bharti appointed as Chairman, Committee on Privileges of Delhi Legislative Assembly for the year 2016-17". Delhi Legislative Assembly.
  23. ^ "Five Member Panel To Deal With Menace Of Stray Dogs, Monkeys In Delhi". NDTV. 10 August 2018.
  24. ^ "Malviya Nagar assembly election result 2020: Somnath Bharti wins by 18,144 votes | Delhi News". The Times of India. Times of India. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  25. ^ "Delhi Assembly Elections: Malviya Nagar to See Tight Contest among AAP, BJP and Congress". News18. 16 January 2020.
  26. ^ a b c "Delhi Assembly Committees". delhiassembly.nic.in. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Know your Delhi minister: Somnath Bharti". NDTV. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  28. ^ "Delhi anti-corruption chief minister Arvind Kejriwal quits". BBC. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  29. ^ Nanda, Rupashree (16 February 2014). "Was ready with resignation in Delhi Assembly: Somnath Bharti". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  30. ^ "A Timeline of the Aam Aadmi Party's Years in Government". thecitizen. 16 March 2019.
  31. ^ Assembly Elections December 2013 Results, Election Commission of India
  32. ^ "Trouble for AAP: Did Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti tamper with evidence?". 14 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  33. ^ "Somnath Bharti issued show-cause notice by Bar council of Delhi for tampering evidence". DNA. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  34. ^ "AAP minister Somnath Bharti's top 6 controversies". The Times of India. 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014.
  35. ^ "Protest Against AAP".
  36. ^ "Arvind Kejriwal defending use of 'racist' language by minister: CPM". The Times of India. 21 January 2014. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  37. ^ "BJP accuses Somnath Bharti of racism". The Hindu. 19 January 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  38. ^ "Somnath Bharti to appear before DCW; PIL against AAP dharna in SC". Zee News. 24 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Unruly scenes in Delhi Assembly, bangles, lipstick hurled at Somnath Bharti". India Today Online. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  40. ^ "AAP MLA Somnath Bharti indicted in Malviya Nagar midnight raid". 4 March 2014.
  41. ^ Sunny, Shiv (5 June 2016). "Africans fearful, locals defiant". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  42. ^ "Domestic violence case: Bail for AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, clean chit for his dog Don". 8 October 2015.
  43. ^ "Somnath Bharti faces arrest as HC denies anticipatory bail". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  44. ^ "Bharti evading arrest; residence, office raided: Police". Business Standard. PTI. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  45. ^ "Delhi High Court quashes FIR accusing AAP MLA Somnath Bharti of domestic violence". 7 May 2019.
  46. ^ "'Somnath Bharti, Wife Living Happily Together': Delhi HC Quashes Domestic Violence Case". 7 May 2019.
  47. ^ "AAP's Somnath Bharti sent to jail for two years as court upholds sentence". The Indian Express. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  48. ^ "HC stays AAP MLA Somnath Bharti's conviction, jail term; grants him bail". The Hindustan Times. 25 March 2021.
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Media related to Somnath Bharti at Wikimedia Commons

State Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
?
 Member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly
from Malviya Nagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
2020– 		Incumbent
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