Agencies

New Delhi, May 28: A Delhi court has convicted Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal in the sensational Nitish Katara murder case.

The court is likely to pronounce quantum of sentence which may range from life term to death penalty on May 30.

Vikas, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, and Vishal are convicted for murder, abduction and destruction of evidence in the case.

The court also rejected the duo's contention that the Delhi High Court is to hear their plea at 10.30 am on the ground that the trial court proceedings have not been stayed.

Timeline

Nitish Katara was allegedly murdered by Vikas and Vishal Yadav, after being abducted from a marriage party in Ghaziabad on the night of February 16-17, 2002. Nitish was killed for his alleged relationship with Vikas’s sister Bharti. Bharti Yadav, who was listed as prime witness by the persecution was sent to London immediately.

February 20, 2002: The body of Nitish Katara was discovered from village Khurja in Bulandshahr.

On March 11, 2002, the Tata Safari used in the murder was recovered from G T Road, Karnal.

On March 31, 2002 UP police filed a four page chargesheet.

April 23, 2002: Both the accused Vikas and Vishal Yadav were arrested from Madhya Pradesh.

Charges were framed against the three accused on November 23, 2002.

A separate trial was started against a third accused in the case, Sukhdev Pahalwan, who was arrested in 2005. The trial in Sukhdev's case is at the stage of prosecution evidence.

August 23, 2002: The Supreme Court directed transfer of the Nitish Katara murder case from a Ghaziabad sessions court to a competent court of the same jurisdiction in Delhi.

November 25, 2006: Prime witness Bharti Yadav returns to India.

The prosecution had wrapped up their final arguments in the case in December 2007.

April 2, 2008: Trial court begins hearing the Nitish Katara murder case on a day-to-day basis.

April 23, 2008: The trial in the Nitish Katara murder case came to an end.