The Hindu : Front Page : Bharti Yadav is here to depose

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Sunday, Nov 26, 2006
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Bharti Yadav is here to depose

Nirnimesh Kumar

She would be recording her evidence in Katara murder case on Wednesday

Bharti Yadav

NEW DELHI: After much uncertainty, Bharti Yadav, daughter of former Member of Parliament D. P. Yadav and a key prosecution witness in the Nitish Katara murder case, finally arrived here in the Capital from London on Friday night to record her evidence in the case.

She has been away in London for the past three years pursuing a professional course and has been under tremendous pressure from the trial courts here to depose in the much talked about case. She would be recording her evidence on November 29.

Her counsel, S. C. Buttan, on Saturday confirmed her arrival saying that he came to know about it in the morning. However, her father told the media that he was not aware of her reported arrival. Mr. Buttan said he had advised Ms. Bharti not to contact her parents before deposing in the case.

She could meet her parents after November 29, added Mr. Buttan.

On Monday Ms. Bharti is likely to meet a lawyer of the External Affairs Ministry who will take her to the Passport Office for fulfilling the formalities for issuance of a new passport to her in keeping with Delhi High Court directions earlier this week. The Ministry will also help her in getting a British visa speedily as directed by the High Court.

After getting her passport and visa, Ms. Bharti will submit the two documents to the trial court that will return them to her at the conclusion of her evidence.

Welcoming her arrival in the country to depose, Neelam Katara, mother of deceased Nitish Katara, said, "She will convey a positive message to all those who have been following the case keenly. The law of the land is equal for all howsoever powerful he or she may be."

The prosecution has pinned great hopes on Ms. Bharti's evidence for conviction of Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, brother and cousin of the witness respectively, facing trial in the case. It believes that her examination will help unravel the motive behind the killing of Nitish Katara, son of a former senior IAS officer.

The court, conducting trial of the case, had last year allowed the prosecution to drop Ms. Bharti as its witness saying that the British police had refused to serve a non-bailable warrant issued by the court on her saying that she was not an accused there.

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