Vishal Yadav, jailed in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder, was Friday told by the Delhi High Court to pay nearly Rs.16 lakh spent by the government on his security during his visits to hospitals outside prison.
A division bench of Justice Gita Mittal and Justice V.K. Shali: “It was all taxpayers money that the government has spent for your security during your visit to hospitals including Batra hospital. Let us see some bonafides.”
Taking note of Tihar Jail’s report, the court said that it was apparent that more than Rs.16 lakh was spent on security personnel who accompanied Vishal to hospitals.
The court said that it would evaluate the total amount spent on Vishal’s security during his hospital visits after perusing the documents submitted by the jail authorities.
The bench asked the counsel representing Vishal’s case to seek instruction from him and inform the court by March 23.
Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav, was convicted in 2008 along with his cousin Vishal for kidnapping and murdering Nitish Katara, a close friend of his sister Bharti.
The duo killed Katara, son of an Indian Administrative Service officer, on the night of Feb 17, 2002, after abducting him from a marriage party in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad as they were opposed to his relationship with Bharti.
The court was hearing the plea filed by victim’s mother Neelam Katara alleging that Vishal visited Batra hospital more than 40 times and Vikas visited All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) more than 80 times since their conviction in 2008 by misusing their financial and political influence.
The court also asked the Tihar Jail authorities to present guidelines framed for the prisoners who were sent to various hospitals.
The bench asked the AIIMS to explain as to why Vikas was offered a higher class of facility during treatment in October 2011.
