Surrender of license routine matter when office acquired on profit: Somnath Bharti

Commenting on surrender of his Bar Council license after the Delhi Bar Council threatened to take action against him; Delhi Law Minister Somanth Bharti on Saturday said that it was a routine matter, as he had acquired an office of profit.

“It is a routine matter, and you need to inform the bar council on it. When one acquires an office of profit, one has to submit the bar council license,” said Bharti.

Somnath Bharti surrendered his Bar Council license after the Delhi Bar Council threatened to take action against him.

Bharti was to have quit his membership of the Bar Council soon after taking over as a minister.

The Bar Council will meet on January 20 to discuss the issue of Bharti's tampering of evidence in the CBI court in which he had appeared as a lawyer.

JP's Delhi unit chief Vijay Goel had filed a complaint before the council seeking action against Bharti in the wake of the indictment case against him.

Goel had complained that in August 2013, a special CBI court had held Bharti's conduct as highly objectionable and unethical, besides also amounting to tampering of evidence, after he, as a defence lawyer in a corruption case, contacted a prosecution witness and attempted to bring on record an audio-recording of a conversation before the court.