Noting that the Nitish Katara murder was “very well planned,” the Supreme Court confirmed the guilt of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav’s son Vikas, nephew Vishal and henchman Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehelwan.
“Here everything was well-planned. The plan was thought of and executed in a well... very well planned manner. You took him (Nitish Katara) home, then god knows where, killed him and dumped his body,” Justice J.S. Khehar observed orally.
Confirming the conviction of the three persons, the Bench, also comprising Justice A.K. Goel, said it would now decide on the quantum of sentence of the trio.
The day-long hearing saw the Bench peruse the records of the 2002 murder of young Katara, an MBA graduate and the son of a senior railway official, to flay a criminal justice system which listened more to people with power and influence.
“See the fate of the country, only criminals will cry for justice,” Justice Khehar observed.
The murder, considered an “honour killing” to stop Katara's relationship with Vikas's sister Bharti, raised a public cry for justice. The day-long hearing saw the Bench make several comments about how the trial overcame the influence of the Yadav family to reach the truth.
“Not one prosecution witness stood up for the truth in this case. Everyone turned hostile. Everybody is hand-in-glove. This is the problem with our country,” Justice Khehar observed at one point while faced with the conflicting statements of various witnesses during trial.
