HC takes serious note of missing documents in Katara case

The Delhi High Court today took serious note of the loss of documents in Nitish Katara case from court records and said it proposes to refer the matter to its committee concerned for examination and taking action.
"The loss of documents from court record is undoubtedly a serious matter and we propose to refer a report of the Registrar (Vigilance) to the Registrar General, for placing the report before concerned committee of this court for examining the matter and taking action.
"However, the absence of the photographs does not impact the present adjudication," a bench of justices Gita Mittal and J R Midha said while observing the pictures were mishandled by the scanning branch of the trial court.

The pictures were filed in support of convict Vishal Yadav's stand that after attending the wedding of Shivani Gaur, who was the friend of Nitish Katara and Bharti Yadav, he and his counsin and convict Vikas had gone to attend a ceremony at the residence of Ashok Gandhi, a friend of the Yadav family.
The court also referred to the report of Registrar (Vigilance) who had said, "It thus appears that the documents were there in the said sealed envelope when the same was sent to the scanning branch. The seals were opened there and the contents of the documents contained inside the envelope were apparently mishandled in the scanning branch.

"We may note that the scanning branch had attempted to state that the sealed documents have not been opened. The digitalized record of a card which was also lying in the above sealed cover is available on the file. This shows that in the scanning branch the sealed envelope was opened and the photographs have been mishandled there at that point," the court said.
It directed the Registry to "forward the above report of the Registrar (Vigilance) before the Registrar General of this court who shall place the same before the concerned Committee of this court for consideration".