Court clears allegations against dog in domestic abuse case

An Indian court has dismissed allegations against a former Delhi minister's pet dog, Don the Labrador. Somnath Bharti's wife had accused him of domestic violence and said Don would bite her at his master's behest. The dog became the subject of media speculation after he went "missing" with Mr Bharti, a former law minister, after the charges.

The court dismissed the accusations against Don after he refused to obey Mr Bharti's commands to attack. A Delhi court judge cited a police report where it was observed that the dog did not respond to the commands "Don come, Don bark, Don bite, Don sit down". Don's refusal to obey also won his master bail on Wednesday.
Described as overweight at 35kg (77lb), and lazy, the 12-year-old Labrador became the subject of a police hunt, and intense media attention, when he "disappeared" along with his master, soon after they began investigating the case. It was eventually discovered that the former minister had left Don in his office in south Delhi before fleeing to an undisclosed location. Mr Bharti surrendered two weeks later, after India's Supreme Court refused to say it would grant him bail. Office workers reportedly told police that Don "mostly sleeps and eats, and barks when the AC is turned off".

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Mr Bharti's neighbors had all testified that Don was harmless. A neighborhood restaurateur said Don walks around the apartment block unrestrained. "He walks slowly. He comes down to go to the park where he does his business and goes back. He is a harmless dog that does not cause any trouble." Officers had to seek medical attention for the dog after they discovered he had heart disease and his pills were in a locked cabinet in Mr Bharti's office. Meanwhile Mr Bharti's wife Lipika, who has accused him of domestic abuse and attempting to kill her, has said that the former minister also mistreated Don.