Date:04/03/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/03/04/stories/2003030403241301.htm

National

SC rejects Vikas Yadav's plea

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI March 3. The Supreme Court today rejected the plea of Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, accused in the `Nitish Katara murder case,' for transferring the case from the trial court in Delhi to any other court, as the judge was "prejudiced against them."

A Bench, comprising Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Venkatarama Reddi, said that it was open to them to raise their objections on the procedure adopted in recording evidence before the session's court.

In their special leave petition, the petitioners, son and nephew respectively of the Rajya Sabha MP, D.P. Yadav, challenging an order of the Delhi High Court rejecting their plea for transfer, submitted that they did not a expect fair trial from the Additional Sessions Judge, S.N. Dhingra. The prosecution case was that Vikas and Vishal kidnapped Katara from a marriage party in Ghaziabad and murdered him on February 17 last year, as they did not like his friendship with their sister.