The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that Tihar Jail will have to foot part of the bill spent on security for Vikas and Vishal Yadav,convicts in the Nitish Katara murder case,during their many trips to AIIMS and Batra Hospital in the last four years. Told that state authorities have spent more than Rs 20 lakh on security for the cousins during their treatments,a bench of Justices Geeta Mittal and V K Shali said: After it is ascertained how much tax payers money has been unreasonably spent,we will examine how much of it will have to be shared between the two inmates. And we will also certainly apportionate it between them and Tihar because they cannot be said to be a non-party to the whole thing. The court is hearing a plea by Nitish Kataras mother Neelam who has alleged that Vishal visited Batra Hospital more than 60 times and Vikas visited AIIMS more than 80 times since their conviction in 2008 by misusing their financial and political influence. The court asked the counsel for Vikas and Vishal to inform whether they would on their own pay part of the money spent on their security. You were allowed to go to Batra Hospital for tuberculosis treatment. Now that there are allegations that there were several visits that were not all required,do you want to pay a part of the money or do you refuse to pay anything? the bench asked Vishals counsel. Expressing reluctance to pay,his counsel said that all visits were connected to tuberculosis and were completely in sync with the 2004 High Court order that allowed Vishal to go to Batra Hospital for treatment of this ailment. Warning him,the bench said: You must take clear-cut instructions from your client on this. It is not certain now but we will finally decide if you misused the court order after a final report from the medical board is ready for our perusal. The court also pulled up AIIMS for shifting Vikas to A class luxury ward during his treatment and asked them to file an affidavit. As per the reports,Vikas was kept in A class ward for 10 days more only on account of non-payment of bills. How many other persons are kept like this? You give us the numbers and tell us where do you keep the prisoners otherwise, the court asked the AIIMS counsel. The court was informed by the counsel for the Delhi Police that two constables,who had allegedly allowed Vikas to leave AIIMS on the night of Diwali,have been suspended and an inquiry initiated. In 2008,a Delhi court convicted Vikas and his cousin Vishal for killing Nitish Katara,an MBA student,in February 2002 for having an affair with their sister Bharati.
