A Delhi court has awarded life sentence to Vikas and Vishal Yadav, key accused in the sensational Nitish Katara murder case.

Nitish was kidnapped and murdered after he attended a wedding in Ghaziabad in 2002. His body was found in a village in Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier in the day, Special Public Prosecutor B S Joon sought death penalty on the ground that their offence fell under the rarest of rare category as they killed a defenceless person in the most diabolical manner.

"They deserved death penalty for not only the offence but for utter disregard for the human body as they while disposing of the body, chopped off the private parts of Nitish Katara," he said.

Citing various Supreme Court judgements including that of infamous Tandoor case, the prosecutor said, the pre and post-crime conduct of the convicts and the commission of this dastardly act merited the consideration of the case under the rarest of rare category, warranting award of gallows for them.

Senior defence lawyer K N Balagopal sought lenient punishment for the convicts, saying the case was based on circumstantial evidence and life imprisonment be awarded to the convicts as neither the offence was diabolical, nor the convicts were menace to the society.

"It is a regular murder committed under the emotional disturbances. Though every such offences are heinous but they all do not fall under the rarest of rare category," he said.

On Wednesday, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur held Vikas, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, and his cousin Vishal guilty of murder, abduction and destruction of evidence in the case.

Judge Ravinder Kaur in her judgement that ran into 1,100 pages observed: "The relationship between the two (Nitish and Bharti) was not mere friendship, it had ballooned into a love affair and showed that they wanted to marry."

In the verdict, the judge concluded: "I hold Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav guilty under Section 302, 364, 201 and 34 of the IPC."

Timeline:

Six years of the Nitish Katara murder case

How it Happened??

Feb 16-17, 2002: Nitish Katara abducted from a marriage party in Ghaziabad.

Feb 20, 2002: The body of Nitish Katara found in a village in Bulandshahr. His alleged girlfriend Bharti Yadav, daughter of influential Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav, leaves for Britain.

March 11, 2002: The Tata Safari allegedly used in the murder recovered from GT Road, Karnal.

March 31, 2002: Uttar Pradesh police files a four-page chargesheet.

April 23, 2002: Prime accused Vikas and Vishal Yadav arrested from Madhya Pradesh.

Aug 23, 2002: Supreme Court transfers the case from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi.

Nov 23, 2002: Charges framed against the three accused - Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev.

April 7, 2003: A separate trial starts against the third accused Sukhdev Pahalwan, who was arrested in 2005. The trial in Sukhdev's case is at the stage of prosecution evidence.

March 2004: All witnesses, except D.P. Yadav's daughter Bharti Yadav, depose in court.

November 2005: Prime witness Bharti Yadav returns to India.

May 2006: Bharti Yadav's passport is revoked.

Nov 25, 2006: Bharti Yadav deposes in court after three years of notices and summons.

December 2007: The prosecution wraps up its final arguments and claims Bharti Yadav's alleged proximity to Nitish resulted in her brothers murdering him.

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

April 23, 2008: Trial in the Nitish Katara murder case ends.

May 27, 2008: Court fixes date for pronouncement of verdict.

May 28, 2008: Court holds Vikas and Vishal Yadav guilty of murder. Quantum of sentence to be pronounced May 30.

May 30:Delhi court has awarded life sentence to Vikas and Vishal Yadav, key accused in the sensational Nitish Katara murder case.

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