The Hindu : New Delhi News : Fresh warrant for Bharti Yadav in Katara case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Fresh warrant for Bharti Yadav in Katara case

Staff Reporter

NBW to be served on key prosecution witness in London

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable warrant seeking the presence of Bharti Yadav, daughter of former Member of Parliament D. P. Yadav and a key prosecution witness in the Nitish Katara murder case, to record her statement.

Issuing the warrant, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur directed that the warrant be executed through the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs by March 27.

Bharti Yadav at present is in London purportedly doing a professional course.

The trial court issued the warrant in compliance with a Delhi High Court order last year asking it to ensure the presence of the witness in the court to record her evidence in the case. The prosecution had moved an application urging the court to issue a warrant for Bharti Yadav's appearance.

Allowing a revision petition by Neelam Katara, mother of the deceased, against the trial court decision to drop Bharti Yadav as a prosecution witness in the case on a request by the prosecution, Justice R. S. Sodhi had set aside the order. ``

Bharti, who is a prosecution witness, may now be examined in accordance with law. I am of the opinion that Bharti is an essential and important witness in the prosecution's case and that to drop her at this stage would damage the case resulting in failure of justice,'' Mr. Justice Sodhi had said.

The prosecution had dropped Bharti as a witness in the case on the ground that the British Government had refused to serve on her a non-bailable warrant issued by the trial court for recording her statement in the case.

The prosecution's allegation against Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav is that they had kidnapped and later killed Nitish Katara, son of a former senior IAS officer here, as they were against Nitish having an affair with Bharti.

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