Court reserves order in Nitish Katara murder case till July 19

New Delhi, July 17 (UNI) A city court today reserved till July 19 its order on declaring prime witness Bharti Yadav in the Nitish Katara murder case a proclaimed offender.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ravinder Kaur reserved the order directing the prosecution ''to show the law on the point that proclamation could be issued against a witness as well.'' Bharti's father D P Yadav had on July 15 submitted in the court that his daughter was in the UK. The court has earlier directed him to disclose the present address of Bharti but he refused to furnish it saying he did not remember.

Appearing before the court, Ramesh Kumar, Under Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs, submitted that there were no grounds under the British laws to compel Bharti to attend the court.

He also submitted that summons from overseas authority has no legal validity under the UK laws. If Bharti did not wish to comply, it was her prerogative, he added.

Chief public prosecutor B S Joon said,''On July 5, we also sought the help of the Interpol to trace out the address of Bharti as neither D P Yadav nor Bharti was co-operating. The reply from the Interpol is awaited.'' Three Non-Bailable warrants had been issued for Bharti till May 22.

Vikas and Vishal Yadav, brother and cousin of Bharti respectively, are facing trial in the case for allegedly kidnapping and murdering Katara on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002, from Ghaziabad where he had gone to attend a marriage.

Bharti allegedly was in relationship with Nitish, son of a senior bureaucrat.

Vikas is believed to have plaaned the crime after he came to know about Bharti's relationship with Nitish which he did not approve of.

Vikas and Vishal have ben booked under Sections 302 (Murder), 364 (Kidnapping) and 201 (Destruction of Evidence) and 34 (Common intention to commit a crime) of the Indian Penal Code.

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