New Delhi, Oct 01: A doctor who deposed as a witness in the Dhaula Kuan rape case, in which a Delhi University student was sexually assaulted in a moving car, has turned hostile in the court trying the case.
Satender Yadav, an ayurvedic doctor in whose house the main accused Ajit Katiyar lived as a tenant, retracted his statement that he used to give condoms to Katiyar.
The prosecution had named Yadav as a witness to establish its case that Katiyar was a characterless person and was prone to committing such sexual offences.
Deposing as prosecution witness before Additional Sessions Judge K C Lohia, the Noida-based doctor said he did not remember giving a statement to the police that he gave Katiyar the contraceptives.
After the incident on May 8 last year, Yadav had told police that he had asked Katiyar, who was a cab driver for a private company, why he needed the condoms when he was not married.
However, during his testimony in court, Yadav denied having given any such statement to police.
To support the contention that Katiyar was a person with a bad character, Delhi Police had in their chargesheet claimed that condoms and pornographic materials had been found in his residence.
Of the 10 witnesses who have deposed so far, three including Yadav have turned hostile. The prosecution has named 32 witnesses in the case.
In their chargesheet, police have admitted that they have failed to recover the locally made pistol and cars allegedly used in the crime. Further, police were unable to arrest other co-accused.
Katiyar, the sole accused arrested in the case, is charged with having committed the offences of gang-rape, abduction, intoxication with intent to commit offence, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
According to the charges, Katiyar, along with three co-accused, conspired to gang-rape the college student in a moving car after intoxicating her and forcing her to illicit intercourse.
The accused forced the girl, studying in Delhi University, into a Santro car at about 2.15 am. On May 8, 2005 when she was walking with her roommate to a 'dhaba' in the Dhaula Kuan area in Southwest Delhi.
Katiyar (28), whose features were described by the victim, was picked up on May 13 from near the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.
According to police, Katiyar has a criminal record with at least 10 cases for crimes like attempted murder, auto-theft and illegal possession of arms registered against him. He has also been charged with shooting at a police party.
Bureau Report
