SC Refuses to entertain Bharti's petition

New Delhi, Sep 22 (UNI) The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a petition filed by key prosecution witness in the Nitish Katara murder case, Bharti Yadav, seeking permission from the apex court to depose as witness through video conferencing from her London residence.

The bench comprising Mr Justice K G Balakrishnan and Mr Justice D K Jain today came down heavily on the petitioner's counsel saying that it was another attempt to prolong the proceedings of the case as on the one hand family members of the petitioner claim that they did not know the whereabouts of Bharti while this petition is being filed in this court.

The counsel for the petitioner, judging the mood of the court, sought permission to withdraw the petition and the court dismissed it as withdrawn.

The trial court and the High Court have already dismissed five such applications moved on her behalf. Bharti Yadav is the daughter of former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav. Bharti's brother Vikas Yadav and her cousin Vishal Yadav are the main accused in the case.

Nitish Katara was murdered for allegedly having an affair with Bharti which was not to the liking of the family of D P Yadav.

The trial court had given Bharti time till September 28, either to appear in the court or she will be declared a proclaimed offender and all her assets, both moveable and immoverable, will be attached.

In such an eventuality Bharti may not be able to come back to India.

The trial of the case was shifted from Ghaziabad to Delhi on a petition filed by Neelam Katara, mother of the deceased, who failed to find any lawyer to appear for her in Ghaziabad courts allegedly due to the terror of D P Yadav.

The apex court also observed that since she is an Indian citizen she must come back India and depose in the case.

UNI AKS/SC MIR RAI RS2032