How many Tihar inmates get 'A' class wards at state expense: HC asks Delhi Police

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the city police how many inmates of Tihar Jail are provided 'A' class wards/treatment in government hospitals at state expense, while referring to the number of hospital visits made by the convicts in the Nitish Katara murder case.

A special bench of justices Gita Mittal and JR Midha made the query while hearing arguments on sentence to be awarded to the convicts Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav, in the case.

"How many inmates of Tihar have been admitted to 'A' class wards in government hospitals at government expense?" the bench told the Delhi Police. Advocate Sumeet Verma, appearing for Vikas, sought to explain the same saying "they were not admitted everytime. Most of the time there were only visits."

He also said that on the few occasions when they were admitted, they were given bigger rooms to accommodate their security. The bench, however, was of the view that each and every sick inmate, if required, should be given 'A' class wards or treatment and such benefits should not be confined to VIP prisoners.

Vikas, his cousin Vishal and Sukhdev are serving life term for abducting and killing Katara, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002. They did not approve of the victim's affair with Bharti, daughter of DP Yadav.

The court is currently hearing arguments on the sentence to be awarded to the convicts and the same will continue tomorrow. Vikas had recently pleaded that he be exempted from death penalty as his act was not so brutal or gruesome and there are chances of his reformation.

Earlier, the victim's mother Neelam and Delhi Police, who had concluded their arguments, had demanded death for the trio terming their offence to be in the category of the rarest of the rare. Delhi Police and Neelam Katara are seeking capital punishment or an enhanced life sentence for Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev.

The high court had on April 2 upheld the verdict of the lower court in the case by describing the offence as "honour killing" stemming from a "deeply-entrenched belief" in caste system. Katara was abducted and killed by Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev as they did not approve of the victim's affair with Bharti because they belong to different castes, the court had said.

The high court had dismissed the appeals of the convicts and kept pending two separate pleas of the state and Neelam Katara seeking death penalty for them.