SC dismisses Vikas Yadav petition for stay on conviction

New Delhi, Mar 19 (UNI) The Supreme Court today dismissed an application filed by Vikas Yadav who has been sentenced to four years imprisonment in Jessica Lal murder case, seeking stay of his conviction for contesting UP Assembly elections.

The petitioner son of former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav has contended that his conviction should be stayed as was done in case of BJP MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu.

He also contended that his case was fully covered by the judgement of this court in the case of Sidhu whose conviction was stayed to enable to contest February 13 Amritsar Lok Sabha byelection.

Vikas Yadav, the main accused in Nitish Katara murder case, had also contended that Sidhu was sentenced to three years jail with a fine of Rs 1 lakh in a road rage case while he has been given four years imprisonment on the charges of distruction of evidence and his appeal against the conviction and sentence is already pending in this court.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P K Balasubramanyan and R V Raveendran found no merit in the petition and dismissed it holding that this case was on a different footing and judgement in Sidhu's case does not cover the case of the petitioner.

The court, however, adjourned the hearing of the main appeal by Vikas Yadav and tagged the same with appeals by Manu Sharma and Tony Gill in Jessica Lal murder case. Vikas Yadav had also pleaded that he had lost the last Assembly elections by merely 400 votes.

UNI