New Delhi: Despite getting a court notice issued against the prosecution and its key witness Ajay Katara for their reported statements to the media, the defence in the Nitish Katara murder case today minced its words on the issue, indicating its disinterest in pursuing the matter.

Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur had on last date of hearing issued notices to Ajay, who has buttressed the prosecution's murder charges against Vikas and Vishal Yadav and claimed to have seen the victim with the accused for the last time.

In the application, Vikas had sought a gag order against Ajay, claiming that his statements to media over the merits of the case were adversely affecting the trial and that he was casting aspersions on him in his attempt to frame him and his cousin Vishal in the case.

But interestingly, the defence counsel today stayed away from mentioning the matter before the judge even as the court went ahead with hearing the final arguments in the trial, that involves the duo, who are accused of kidnapping and killing Katara on the night of February 16-17, 2002.

The prosecution's case depends heavily on Ajay, who had claimed in court that he had seen the victim with the accused on the fateful night, the last time Katara was seen alive by anyone. Meanwhile, the defence pointed to some alleged anomalies in the police records and contended that few of the vital pieces of information regarding the deceased were brought on records later as an afterthought.

Source : PTI