Bharti Yadav being prevented from appearing in the court:CBI

New Delhi, Aug 4 (UNI) The CBI today told the Supreme Court that Bharti Yadav, key witness in the Nitish Katara murder case, was being prevented from appearing before the court.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the CBI, told the court that the accused in the case were wilfully trying to obstruct the administration of justice by advising Bharti not to depose before the court.

He also told a bench comprising Justices K G Balakrishanan and D K Jain that Bharti's plea for permission to depose through video-conferencing had been rejected by the court five times.

The court also adjourned the hearing of the petition filed by the State and Neelam Katara, mother of Nitish Katara, seeking cancellation of bail granted to Vishal Yadav, nephew of former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav, holding that since the bail application of the main accused in the case Vikas Yadav, son of D P Yadav, was pending in Delhi High Court, any order passed on the petition by the apex court may influence the decision of Vikas' bail application.

During the last hearing the apex court had warned the accused and their family members that if the judicial process was taken for a ride than they would have to face the consequences and within two hours the trial court received a fax message from Bharti that she was prepared to depose through video-conferencing in the case.

The trial court has already threatened Bharti to declare her as a proclaimed offender if she failed to appear in the court on September 28.

UNI AKS/SC YA HT1902