New Delhi, Jan 31: The accused in the Nitish Katara murder case Vikas and Vishal Yadav have approached Delhi district and sessions judge seeking transfer of the case from the court of Additional Sessions Judge S N Dhingra charging the presiding officer with conducting proceedings in their absence. In their separate but identical applications before district and Sessions Judge J P Singh, the accused - son and nephew of Rajya Sabha MP D P Yadav - said the case should be transferred to some other court as they did not expect to get justice from the present one. Singh, who heard the counsel for the accused yesterday, has requisitioned the case file from Dhingra's court and adjourned the matter till Feb 3 when further arguments would be taken up. The Yadav brothers are facing trial in the case for allegedly kidnapping Katara, a business executive, from a marriage party and later murdering him in February last, irked by his liason with their sister Bharti.
Three prosecution witnesses have been examined so far while two others had mysteriously disappeared from court after marking their presence on Jan 23.

The court had on several occasions observed that the accused were adopting tactics to delay the trial.

Bureau Report