Delhi HC upholds conviction of Nitish Katara's killers, calls it a case of 'honour killing'

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of three convicts, including Vikas Yadav, son of UP politician D P Yadav, for the abduction and murder of Nitish Katara in 2002, saying it was a case of "honour killing".

A bench of justices Gita Mittal and J R Midha fixed April 25 for hearing arguments on quantum of sentence to be awarded to Vikas Yadav, his cousin Vishal and Sukhdev Yadav.

"The appeals are devoid of merit. We have also held that the killing of Nitish Katara was a honour killing," the bench said.

The high court's judgment came nearly a year after it had reserved its verdict on April 16 last year.

The lawyers for the convicts, State and Neelam Katara, mother of the victim, had started advancing final arguments on April 16, 2012.

Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev Pehalwan are serving life term for abducting and killing Nitish Katara, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002.

The court has heard five appeals filed by three convicts against their conviction and one each from the prosecution and Neelam Katara seeking death penalty for the people found guilty by the lower court.

However, the court had decided to segregate the appeals filed by the victim's mother and the prosecution from that of convicts.

The prosecution had alleged that the Yadavs allegedly killed the victim as they did not approve of his alleged affair with their sister Bharti Yadav. Vikas and Vishal were convicted by the trial court in 2008.

Their accomplice Pehlwan, who had absconded for some time but was arrested in 2005, was tried separately and sentenced to life term by the trial court.

The trial court had in 2008 convicted them and awarded rigorous life term to all three.

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Nitish Katara case: HC upholds trial court verdict of life sentence

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of three convicts, including Vikas Yadav, son of UP politician D P Yadav, for the abduction and murder of Nitish Katara in 2002, saying it was a case of "honour killing".

A bench of justices Gita Mittal and J R Midha fixed April 25 for hearing arguments on quantum of sentence to be awarded to Vikas Yadav, his cousin Vishal and Sukhdev Yadav.

"The appeals are devoid of merit. We have also held that the killing of Nitish Katara was a honour killing," the bench said.

The high court's judgment came nearly a year after it had reserved its verdict on April 16 last year.

The lawyers for the convicts, State and Neelam Katara, mother of the victim, had started advancing final arguments on April 16, 2012.

Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev Pehalwan are serving life term for abducting and killing Nitish Katara, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002.

The court has heard five appeals filed by three convicts against their conviction and one each from the prosecution and Neelam Katara seeking death penalty for the people found guilty by the lower court.

However, the court had decided to segregate the appeals filed by the victim's mother and the prosecution from that of convicts.

The prosecution had alleged that the Yadavs allegedly killed the victim as they did not approve of his alleged affair with their sister Bharti Yadav. Vikas and Vishal were convicted by the trial court in 2008.

Their accomplice Pehlwan, who had absconded for some time but was arrested in 2005, was tried separately and sentenced to life term by the trial court.

The trial court had in 2008 convicted them and awarded rigorous life term to all three.

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Singer Diljit Dosanjh performs at Third Eye in Delhi

Third Eye recently hosted an evening with Punjabi actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh, where the guests sang and danced along to his lively music.

Diljit performed some of his most famous songs like Beautiful Billo and Proper Patola, among others. He said, "Delhiites know how to enjoy my music, so it's always a pleasure to perform here." Suresh Mendiratta and Sudhir Nagar, co-owners of the venue, said, "We, like all Delhiites, love Punjabi music and love to see our guests enjoy such performances. We are overwhelmed by the response and this makes us more committed to providing the very best to our guests."

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Rannvijay Singha flags off a cyclothon organised by WWF-India in Delhi

Rannvijay Singh was recently in the capital to flag off a cyclothon organised by WWF-India. The event, which was being held in the run-up to the Earth Hour, saw many cyclists come out in support of using non-motorised transport.

Rannvijay also cycled along with them, and said, "It feels nice to be here in Delhi for an event like this. Cycling is one of the best forms of exercises. In metros, we don't have places where people can take out their cycles because of the heavy traffic. But I know that there are certain cycling groups that have been formed by people, which is a good step."

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NIA, Delhi Police both want custody of IM operatives

NEW DELHI: The NIA and Delhi Police both want the custody of two suspected Indian Mujahideen's operatives.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a court on Wednesday that it wants the custody of suspected IM operatives Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu and Waqas alias Zia-ur-Rehman in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar blasts in Hyderabad.

The NIA argued that since it is a federal unit, it has the right to arrest and interrogate suspects.

While opposing the two men's custody with Delhi Police, the NIA told court that Delhi Police special cell is a state unit and that Waqas and Monu are wanted in Dilsukhnagar blasts case the national agency is investigating.

Defence counsel of both of the accused, MS Khan, asked what have Delhi Police done in the 10 days' of custodial interrogation of the accused.

The special cell of Delhi Police informed court that they are trying to find the wherabouts of suspected IM top operative Riaz Bhatkal and sought extension of their custody of the accused in 2011 illegal arms factory case.

The court will deliver the order later in the day.

Waqas, arrested in March, is a Pakistani national and allegedly involved in several terror attacks, including the serial blasts in Mumbai in July 2011.

Tehsin was arrested by Delhi Police, after Waqas's arrest.

Tehsin, the outlawed Indian Mujahideen's current chief of Indian operations, is an expert in bomb making.

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AAP's professor peddles growth dream in manifesto

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party's candidate for North East Delhi constituency, professor Anand Kumar, released the manifesto for the Lok Sabha seat on Monday.

This is the first AAP manifesto for the capital and carries an "attested" declaration by Kumar that he will not use a vehicle with a red beacon, take security cover or accept a "big bungalow" to live in. Instead, if elected, he will live like an "aam aadmi". The manifesto was released in the presence of two residents-Chandra Pal, a senior citizen, as well as a woman called Shabana.

Terming northeast Delhi as the "backyard of a backward region", Kumar's manifesto focuses on the lack of development and high crime rate in the area. Kumar said the constituency was neglected by Congress at the parliamentary and legislative levels and by BJP at the municipal level. He added that the area is one of the 90 minority districts in India where population of one minority community (mostly Muslims) is over 20% and for which, a special component plan has been sanctioned by the Centre.

"A total of Rs 125 crore meant for the development of this constituency remained unutilized was sent back to the Centre. This should come back," Kumar said.

Kumar's manifesto also talks about setting up of an East Campus on the lines of North and South campuses of Delhi University, establishing schools and regularization of unauthorized colonies. "Opening central schools and Navoday Vidyalaya are also on the agenda."

Slamming Congress and BJP for neglecting development, especially of education facilities, Kumar said, "There is a government senior secondary school for girls in Mustafabad. This school is in shambles. One group of students is taught for the first three days and given off for the next three days when another group attends classes."

The manifesto also talks about improving the sanitation condition of the constituency. "The trans-Yamuna area is more famous for its dirty nullahs and poor sanitation condition than its people. There is a Gokalpuri drain, also known as Seelampur nullah. A grant of Rs 14 crore was sanctioned for Brahampuri and Gokalpuri drains. But the drains are open and mosquitoes breed here. Most dengue deaths take place in this area," added Kumar.

Increasing the frequency of buses, solutions for sewer problem and waterlogging, and giving government land for hospitals, roads etc also make an appearance in the manifesto.

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March days coldest since 2007

NEW DELHI: March this year has seen the coldest days since 2007 with an average maximum temperature of 28.6 degrees celsius.

The highest temperature this month has been 34.4 degrees celsius, the lowest since March 2003.

R K Jenamani, director in-charge, IGI Met, said that this month has also witnessed an unusually high number of days with short duration fog.

"This was due to a higher number of western disturbances and stronger easterly winds. Most of the mornings in Delhi have recorded fog and mist. The Met had recorded 51 hours of fog over 13 days. There were fives days when low visibility was declared at the IGI Airport and moderate to dense fog prevailed on four days. Visibility on runways was down to an unusual 300 m till as late as March 29," he said.

He attributed the cooler days this March to western disturbances which were resulted in clouding and rainfall at regular intervals. The WDs also led to a higher number of days with easterly winds. There were 10 such days in the last month. The positive outcome was that the rain and strong winds led to lower pollution levels with afternoon visibility touching 7,000m on some days. "The highest maximum temperature during March 2014 was recorded on the 17 when it went up to 34.4 degrees Celsius. This has been the lowest monthly maximum in the last 11 years. Another approaching WD is expected to result in isolated thunder squalls," said a Met official.

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BJP flags 3,400 posters in Delhi Metro, Congress yet to catch up

NEW DELHI: For the first time, the Delhi Metro has become an advertising ground for the political parties with BJP racing ahead of its rivals, including Congress, by putting 3,400 posters inside the train coaches so far.

While BJP has already put up the posters carrying its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress is yet to step in this new advertising battlefield. According to Delhi metro, about 2.25 lakh people commute by its trains every day.

"Metro is a place to get the best exposure. People of all age groups and classes travel in metro and spend 20-45 minutes at an average. They can pay attention to what these advertisements read. They are better than placing huge hoardings on road sides," Sanjay Kaul, a member of Executive Committee and spokesperson for Delhi BJP, said.

He said the party has decided to give Metro commuters a taste of its campaigning and no matter where commuters might look, they cannot miss the 3,400 posters of the party's prime ministerial candidate.

Eg Communications, the agency to which the DMRC - Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, has outsourced its advertisement space, says that the company had approached all the major parties for advertisements.

"We had approached all the major political parties in the capital, BJP was the first one to take this opportunity. There is no bias in the process. Congress posters are yet to come. But they have said they will get back to us in a day or two," Manish Sethi, Director of the company said.

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Kejriwal's roadshow in Delhi's Chandni Chowk attracts huge crowd

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal's roadshow in Britannia chowk area of Chandni Chowk constituency, nine days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, drew enthusiastic crowd which had gathered to catch a glimpse of the Aam Aadmi Party chief.

As the convoy of more than 20 cars passed through the lanes and bylanes of the congested area, residents peered out from the roofs and windows of their houses waving and cheering for the former Delhi chief minister.

However, the roadshow disrupted traffic which left commuters reeling under chaos on a weekday and passerbys had a tough time reaching their destinations.

The convoy was led by an open jeep in which Kejriwal along with AAP's Chandni Chowk constituency candidate Ashutosh waved to the crowd and also shook hands with some residents.

Many residents who moved along with the convoy even garlanded Kejriwal as he moved ahead.

"We will vote for Kejriwal. He has a clean image and he deserves a chance," said 62-year-old Rishi Kumar.

Kick-starting the roadshow from Britannia chowk near Samraat Cinema hall amid extensive police deployment, Kejriwal's cavalcade passed through thickly populated areas such as A-Block Mother Diary and Saraswati Chowk and urged people vote for the journalist-turned-politician, Ashutosh.

Kejriwal held the BJP and Congress responsible for ceasing off the subsidy on water and electricity which he had offered when in power and said he will start the subsidy if he gets to power.

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147 FIRs filed against political parties in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A total of 147 FIRs have been registered against political parties for violating the model code of conduct here, said an Election Commission official on Tuesday.

The model code of conduct came into force on March 5 with the Lok Sabha election scheduled in the national capital April 10.

"A total of 20 FIRs have been registered against the Bharatiya Janata Party, 15 against the Congress and 14 have been lodged against the Aam Aadmi Party," said the official.

Poll panel officials have also seized 47 unlicenced arms from members of political parties.

"A large quantity of liquor, both country and Indian Made Foreign Liquor, has been recovered," he added.

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