Nitish Katara murder: Bharti Yadav to be declared 'offender'

A Delhi court Saturday allowed the police to initiate the process for declaring Bharti Yadav, key witness in the high-profile murder of Nitish Katara, a 'proclaimed offender'.

Keeping pending a decision on Bharti Yadav's request to allow her to appear through video-conferencing or before a court commission, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur directed her to appear before the court in person by Sept 28, failing which she might be declared an offender.

Bharti Yadav, daughter of former Rajya Sabha MP D.P. Yadav, has refused to appear before the court and record her statement about the incident. She is presently in London for her studies.

Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, brother and cousin respectively of Bharti Yadav, are facing trial in the case for allegedly kidnapping Katara, son of a former IAS officer, and later killing him because they were allegedly against their sister having an affair with the deceased.

Bharti Yadav had last week requested the court through a fax message from London that she was ready to depose in the matter through video-conferencing or before a court commission.

When Chief Public Prosecutor B.S. Joon was informed about the message, he said he had doubts about the authenticity of the message and wanted to verify its genuineness.

Allowing his request, Kaur had given him two days to find out whether Bharti Yadav had herself sent the message or it was a plant in her name.

In his reply, Joon told the court that the London address mentioned in the message was correct and the request letter was also faxed from the same telephone number that had appeared on it.

However, the signature purportedly put in by Bharti Yadav on the message did not match with her specimen signature, Joon submitted.

The home ministry has told the court that there is no law in Britain to compel her to appear in the court, and if she does not comply with summons or warrants, it was her prerogative.

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