New Delhi: Convicting Pradeep Sharma for killing journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, a Delhi court rejected his plea that his finger prints allegedly lifted from the visitor's entry register of the victim's housing society were tampered with.

"I see no reason to believe that the chance prints lifted from the spot or handwriting and specimen finger prints of accused Pradeep or register (entry register to Shivani s apartment) were tampered with," Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri said in the judgement.

Convict Pradeep, who had strangled the victim, had also claimed that his finger prints were obtained during his police custody that too without the court s consent.

The FSL reports, confirming the prosecution s claim that it was he who had entered the victim s house, cannot be said to be tampered with, the court said.

"I think there is no illegality if specimen finger prints or handwriting of accused Pradeep Sharma were taken in police custody without permission of the court," it said.

This evidence became credible as the accused did not deny giving his finger prints to the police, it added.

His counsel, D B Goswami, however had claimed that the police had obtained the convict s fingerprints after calling him to the police station in respect to another case.

Source : PTI