The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Vikas Yadav, in jail for allegedly abducting and killing his sister Bharti's close friend Nitish Katara in Ghaziabad in February 2002.
Justice AK Sikri ruled that the facts and circumstances of the case did not allow bail at this juncture. He also expressed concern over the protracted trial and issued directions to the lower court to wind it up in a reasonable time frame.
Justice Sikri said that Vikas, who has already been convicted for destroying evidence in the case involving the murder of ramp model Jessica Lall, could not be let out on bail.
Vikas, the son of former Rajya Sabha MP DP Yadav, had moved the court for bail after Bharti completed her deposition in the trial court.
His counsel Dinesh Mathur had pleaded that there was no chance of the accused either influencing the witness or tampering with the evidence in the case. Nitish Katara, the son of a senior IAS official, was last seen on the night of Feb 16-17, 2002 at a wedding in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Mathur had pleaded that the court put Vikas on par with his cousin Vishal Yadav, who is also a key accused in the case but is out on bail.
{{/usCountry}}Mathur had pleaded that the court put Vikas on par with his cousin Vishal Yadav, who is also a key accused in the case but is out on bail.
{{/usCountry}}Prosecution counsel said Vikas had already been convicted and sentenced to four year's imprisonment in the Jessica Lall case. To this, Vikas' counsel said he had already undergone his sentence and would be entitled to be released on bail soon.