The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi court pulls up D.P. Yadav

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 12, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi court pulls up D.P. Yadav

Staff Reporter

For his comments on merits of Katara case

Asked to submit reply by October 16
Neelam Katara had filed an application

NEW DELHI: The trial court hearing the Nitish Katara murder case here on Thursday asked the father of prime accused Vikas Yadav, former Member of Parliament D. P. Yadav, why he commented on the merits of the case at a press conference.

Taking exception to the comments reported in newspapers, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur asked Mr. Yadav to submit his reply to the court by October 16.

The direction came following an application submitted by Nitish’s mother Neelam Katara along with copies of the reports on the press conference. In her application, she said the court had, in an order passed in December 2006, specifically prohibited anybody from making comments on the merits of the case barring the public prosecutor.

It was also pointed out in the application that commenting on the authenticity of the statements of witnesses was a prerogative of the court and nobody should try to encroach upon its domain.

Early this week, Mr. Yadav had called a press conference in which he had told media persons that Ajay Katara, a key witness in the case, was a witness planted by the prosecution and had also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into it.

In his deposition before the court, Ajay Katara had said he had last seen Nitish along with Vikas, his cousin and co-accused Vishal Yadav and the third accused Sukhdev in a Tata Safari on the Delhi-Hapur highway the night the victim was kidnapped.

A case had also been registered in Ghaziabad when Ajay had complained that Mr. Yadav was trying to kill him by poisoning him. He had been admitted to hospital with food poisoning after which he had made the allegations.

The final arguments are going on at present in the six-year-old case.

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