The Hindu : New Delhi News : Arguments reach final stage in Katara case

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Sunday, Oct 07, 2007
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New Delhi

Arguments reach final stage in Katara case

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Final arguments in the five-year-old Nitish Katara murder case began in a Sessions Court here on Saturday.

Special Public Prosecutor B. S. Joon tried to establish before Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur that there was a definite motive behind the kidnapping and killing of young Nitish Katara on the night of February 16-17, 2002. The prosecution told the court that prime accused Vikas Yadav was not happy with the relationship of his sister Bharti with Nitish and, along with his cousin Vishal and other accused Sukhdev Pehalwan, got him kidnapped and killed.

Defence counsel G. K. Bharti expressed the apprehension before the court that there could be attempts to influence the verdict because it was a high-profile case. Mr. Bharti told the Judge that there was possibility of some people resorting to mischief and trying to influence the court.

The Judge, however, told defence counsel not to worry on that count. She said the case was like any other and that she was afraid only of God. She told him that she was not going to be threatened by any means.

Vikas and the other accused have been charged with kidnapping, murder and destruction of evidence in the case. According to the prosecution, Bharti and Nitish were classmates at a management institute in Ghaziabad where they developed a close friendship. However, Vikas did not approve of the relationship and decided to eliminate Nitish. On the fateful night, Ms. Bharti had gone to a wedding ceremony at Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad where Nitish had also come. Vikas and Vishal arrived there in a Tata Safari and on the pretext of talking to Nitish called him outside the marriage venue. They then allegedly kidnapped him in the vehicle. His partly burnt vehicle was found near Khurja the next day. Vikas and Vishal were arrested on February 23, 2002.

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