By IANS,
New Delhi : Mafia-boss-turned-politician D.P. Yadav said injustice was done to his son Vikas and nephew Vishal, who were Wednesday convicted for the murder of Nitish Katara in 2002.
Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Kaur Wednesday held the cousins guilty in the murder case. The sentence will be pronounced May 30.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, D.P. Yadav said: “I was in my lawyer’s chamber in the court when the verdict was announced. The court read out the verdict before our turn came. I had submitted a petition in the high court, and though the lower court was aware of it, the verdict was given.”
D.P. Yadav, an Uttar Pradesh legislator and former Rajya Sabha member, had moved the Delhi High Court contending that the testimony of one of the prosecution witnesses, Ajay Katara, was unreliable.
In a newspaper sting operation, Ajay was shown purportedly confessing that he did not see Vikas and Vishal taking Nitish away from a marriage party in Ghaziabad on the night of Feb 17, 2002, when Nitish was last seen alive. His body was found in Khurja, in Bulandshahar district, later.
“Injustice has been done to my innocent kids,” D.P. Yadav said.
When asked who could be behind this “injustice”, he said: “Some rich, powerful people and bureaucrats have done this.”
Nitish Katara was last seen in public Feb 17, 2002, at the marriage ceremony of his friend Shivani Gaur in Ghaziabad. Vikas, Vishal and their sister Bharti, who was a close friend of Nitish, were also present.
The prosecution says the two cousins did not approve of Bharti’s close relationship with Nitish Katara, son of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
D.P. Yadav said he would approach the higher courts to seek justice for his son and nephew.