Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A day after furore over Vikas Yadav, serving a life term for the murder of Nitish Katara, being taken out of jail for treatment at least 66 times, Tihar jail authorities on Thursday said the visits were after court order for the same.
“Yadav was taken to hospital after court order. If we don’t follow court, we will be pulled up and contempt proceeding launched against us,” Sunil Gupta, Tihar’s legal officer told a TV channel.
He rejected the charge that there had been any favouritism towards anyone in jail.
“All procedures were followed. Nothing was out of ordinary,” he added.
Yadav had been out of Tihar Jail as many as 66 times since his conviction by a trial court in 2008, according to an RTI reply.
As per the reply filed by the Tihar Jail authorities, Yadav was taken to hospital 66 times for treatment following court orders.
The information was revealed on an RTI application filed by advocate Kaushik Dey, who has been representing Neelam Katara, the mother of the victim.
Dey had sought information from the jail authorities regarding Yadav`s trips outside Tihar after his conviction by a trial court on May 28, 2008.
Reacting to the disclosure, Neelam said, "Instead of specifying the disease or reasons for which he had to go out, the RTI application simply said he went out to DDU for six times and the rest 60 times to AIIMS...This has to be investigated".
She also accused the jail authorities of illegally shifting Yadav, son of former MP D P Yadav, from the jail meant for the convicts to the jail meant for the undertrials.
"We need to know why was he transferred from jail no 2 to 4, which is obviously a more relaxed place and more facilities are provided to the undertrials. It needs to be investigated," she said.
According to her, the records of co-convict Vishal, was also intriguing. Vishal has been admitted to Delhi`s Batra Hospital twice in 2009 (February 25-June 4 and October 7-December 12), while he has visited the hospital 19 times for treatment, she claimed.
She appealed to the general public to join her in the fight against her son`s killers, saying, "I know influential persons can buy favour in jail as well. It hurts that after devoting eight years of your life for the purpose of justice, this is what you get in return from the system".
As per the RTI reply to her lawyer, Yadav has gone out on 15 other occasions, for reasons including court appearances and his sister Bharati Yadav`s wedding last year.
In May 2008, a Delhi Court had convicted Yadav and his cousin Vishal for killing Nitish Katara, an MBA student, in February 2002 for having an affair with their sister Bharati.
-PTI inputs
