New Delhi: Seeking death penalty for the convicts, police on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that Nitish Katara and Bharti Yadav were in an "intense relationship" and her family's opposition to their friendship led to Katara's murder in 2002.
Special Public Prosecutor Dayan Krishnan told a division bench of Justice Gita Mittal and Justice JR Midha that the disapproval of Bharti's family of the relationship was the motive behind the murder of Katara, son of an Indian Administrative Service officer.
Bharti is the daughter of former MP DP Yadav.
Krishnan sought enhancement of the sentence of the convicts and said his was "an appeal for enhancement of the sentence where court can give death penalty. And if the court does not give death penalty, my appeal would press for the maximum punishment".
"Evidence of record shows that the relationship was extremely intense," said Krishnan showing photographs of Katara and Bharti to the court to prove that they were in a romantic relationship.
He added: "There was not only romantic relationship between them but it was extremely intense relationship."
The court was hearing appeals of the Nitish Katara murder convicts, Vikas Yadav, Bharti's brother, and Vishal Yadav, Bharti's cousin, and hired killer Sukhdev Pehalwan, who are serving life terms in Tihar Jail. The police have also filed an appeal seeking enhancement of sentence of the convicts.
Vikas and Vishal killed Katara on the night of February 17, 2002 after abducting him from a marriage party in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.
The Yadavs and Pehalwan concluded their arguments and from Tuesday police started their arguments in the case.
The prosecution showed the court some letters written by Bharti to Katara where she had written that she will convince her family for their marriage.
"Please always be with me, don't betray me, cheat me... I don't trust anyone except you. I would not be able to take it," Krishnan said, reading the letter written by her to Katara saying that letter clearly made out that she was under "duress" to call off the relationship.
Katara had accompanied Bharti to Mumbai to celebrate her sister's birthday which was attended by only a few close friends and family, Krishnan said to suggest that it showed that they both were in a relationship and her family also knew about them.
He also referred to a Valentine's album sent by Bharti to Katara. The victim's mother, Neelam Katara, also referred to the album in her statement.
"There was a valentine's album sent by Bharti to my son, which had photographs showing them together," said a statement of Neelam Katara, read out by Krishnan.
He also submitted that Bharti had sent Katara many letters and greeting cards.
The state counsel also said that Bharti in her statement had also identified all the cards and her hand writing on them.
"Extreme intense relationship" between them can also be shown from the fact that Bharti had opened a bank account in which she had given Katara's address as her own.
Katara and Bharti studied management together in Ghaziabad and they were in the same class, added Krishnan saying that this showed how they both know each other.
"They knew each other. No dispute on this," he said.
The trial court sentenced Vikas and Vishal to life imprisonment in May 2008.
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