However, Mr Bharti was granted bail to enable him to file an appeal before the high court against his conviction in the case and jail term.
In a case registered in 2016, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti was today sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Delhi.
Ravindra Kumar Pandey, the additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, also imposed a fine of ₹ one lakh on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.
However, Mr Bharti was granted bail to enable him to file an appeal before the high court against his conviction in the case and jail term.
On September 9, 2016, as per the prosecution, Somnath Bharti, along with nearly 300 others, brought down the fence of a boundary wall at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi with a JCB operator.
The magistrate said: “The court is of the considered view that the prosecution has duly proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt against accused Somnath Bharti.”
The AAP MLA was convicted for various offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 147 (rioting).
The court also held Mr Bharti guilty under section 3 (mischief causing damage to public property) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The offences carry a maximum punishment of five years in jail.
Bharti’s associates– Jagat Saini, Dileep Jha, Sandeep Sonu and Rakesh Pandey– however, were acquitted by the court citing a lack of evidence against them.
The case against Mr Bharti was lodged on the basis of a complaint from RS Rawat, Chief Security Officer, AIIMS.
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