Court turns down Vikas Yadav’s plea

The SC dismissed Vikas Yadav’s plea to transfer the hearing of his appeal, challenging his conviction in the Nitish Katara murder case, out of Delhi High Court and “media glare”, reports Bhadra Sinha.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Vikas Yadav’s plea to transfer the hearing of his appeal, challenging his conviction in the Nitish Katara murder case, out of Delhi High Court and “media glare”.

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Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Nitish Katara.

His claim that the appeal would be vitiated if conducted in Delhi High Court due to “trial by media” failed to impress the Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and H.S. Bedi. He had requested that Allahabad High Court or any other high court in the country hear the appeal.

Yadav’s counsel Ashok Desai submitted that technically and legally, the appeal should be heard at Allahabad High Court, as the original offence was committed on February 17, 2002 within the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh.

“The right of appeal vested in the accused cannot be taken away,” Desai told the court.