Trial of main witness in Katara case stayed

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the trial of Ajay Katara, main witness in the Nitish Katara murder case, in a harassment complaint filed against him by his estranged wife.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the trial of Ajay Katara, main witness in the Nitish Katara murder case, in a harassment complaint filed against him by his estranged wife.

HT Image

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhan issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government on Katara's plea for transfer of the case outside the state.

Katara, the main witness in the sensational murder of Nitish Katara is facing trial in a Ghaziabad court on a complaint filed under Section 498A of the IPC by his estranged wife alleging that he had subjected her to constant harassment.

In a petition filed before the apex court, Katara said that he apprehended threat to his life from the family of Vikas Yadav, who allegedly carried out the murder of Nitish Katara.

He submitted that DP Yadav, father of Vikas Yadav, was out to eliminate him since he dared to depose against the accused in Nitish Katara murder.

He sought to infer that the harassment case was being used against him by the accused for settling scores against him.

Katara claimed to have seen Vikas and his cousin Vishal taking away Nitish in a car from a marriage party in Ghaziabad on February 16-17, 2002.

Nitish, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, was allegedly killed by them as they did not approve their sister Bharti's friendship with the victim.

The body of Nitish was later recovered from Khurja in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh.