Delhi HC dismisses bail plea of Vikas Yadav

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to grant bail to Vikas Yadav, prime accused in Nitish Katara murder case.

Dismissing his bail application, Justice A K Sikri said the trial was at the fag end and passing an order at this stage would prejudice the exercise going on in lower court.

However, he said he would direct the lower court to conclude the trial within stipulated time frame.

Referring to the testimony given by key witness and Vikas' sister Bharti Yadav, counsel appearing for Neelam Katara, mother of Nitish Katara, contended before the bench that the mother of Bharti was not comfortable with the relationship between Bharti and Nitish and Vikas was also aware of this relationship.

To this, the bench said it was not going into these aspects at all at this juncture.

Earlier on January 29, the prosecution had said the Nitish and Bharti had intimate relationship which was denied by Vikas saying it was a wrong inference drawn by the prosecution without any evidence.

Appearing before Justice A K Sikri, Delhi Police counsel Mukta Gupta had said Bharti had a bank account having Katara's address which was changed after his murder and opposed the bail plea of Vikas, saying the offence committed was punishable with death sentence or life term.

Senior advocate Dinesh Mathur, appearing for Vikas, said there was no substantial evidence to prove the intimate relationship and the prosecution was simply drawing wrong inferences.

He contended even Bharti, during her testimony, had not accepted the intimate relationship with Nitish.

Interestingly, both the prosecution and defence had claimed that the testimony of Bharti was to their advantage.