Being Ajay Katara: How a high-profile murder changed the life of its prime witness

Ajay says the attempts connected his beingness and the mendacious cases person implicit the years travel down and helium has settled into “somewhat of a routine”. (Illustration by Suvajit Dey)

In the car with Nitish that time were Vikas Yadav, lad of D P Yadav, a strongman-politician who has been successful respective parties, including the Samajwadi Party and BSP; Vikas’s relative Vishal Yadav; and their subordinate Sukhdev Pehalwan. The trio had allegedly abducted Nitish from his classmate’s wedding successful Ghaziabad, sidesplitting him hours later. The Yadav household was reportedly irked by Nitish’s narration with D P Yadav’s girl Bharti. Hours later, Nitish’s burnt assemblage was recovered adjacent Hapur, successful Bulandshahr’s Khurja village, not acold from wherever Ajay had met with the accident.

Bharati Yadav

By a seemingly twisted coincidence, Ajay and the dormant alien shared the aforesaid surname. It was a twist of destiny that has defined Ajay and determined however helium would pb the remainder of his life.

In the years that followed, 37 cases were slapped connected Ajay, including 2 of rape, 1 nether the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and aggregate cases of cheating, extortion, and forgery. Over the years, courts person dismissed the charges successful 35 of the 37 cases against him. The Allahabad High Court stayed proceedings successful the remaining 2 cases — 1 filed by D P Yadav against Ajay for allegedly insulting him implicit a telephone telephone successful 2009 and the other, a fraud lawsuit registered against him successful 2018 — until the petitioners provided capable grounds for the tribunal to proceed with the cases.

Last month, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into what it said was a fraud played connected it by immoderate advocates and others who filed a fake petition, allegedly to implicate Ajay successful a transgression case.

Rattling disconnected dates, FIR numbers and the presumption of each case, Ajay claims that determination person been astatine slightest 10 attempts made connected his beingness — including an alleged lawsuit of poisoning and aggregate instances of shooting. “Four of these cases are inactive pending successful courts,” helium says.

While the mishap successful the aboriginal hours of February 17, 2002 — and the events that followed — “wrecked his life”, Ajay believes that helium was possibly ordained to beryllium there, astatine the spot, that night.

Last month, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into what it said was a fraud played connected it by immoderate advocates and others who filed a fake petition, allegedly to implicate Ajay successful a transgression case. (Express photograph by Amit Mehra)

“I was reluctant to be the day enactment that day. It was excessively acold astatine nighttime and I truly didn’t privation to spell backmost location connected a scooter, but my person called maine doubly successful the evening, insisting I attend. God works successful mysterious ways,” says Ajay, 51, who past worked arsenic a small-time gemstone supplier to jewellery shops. He present runs a works nursery and is the co-owner of a wholesale tyre business.

On October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced Vikas and Vishal Yadav, arsenic good arsenic Sukhdev Pehelwan, the 3rd accused, to 25 years of imprisonment without remission.

Ajay arsenic eyewitness

In his testimonies successful court, Ajay has insisted that erstwhile helium walked up to the SUV that knocked him down, helium instantly recognised the occupants — each of them, but the antheral sitting successful the rider spot successful front, Nitish. The driver, arsenic it would crook retired later, was Vikas Yadav. “Everyone knew D P Yadav and his lad Vikas,” says Ajay.

D P Yadav’s estimation preceded him. From UP’s Bulandshahr to Haryana’s Sirsa, helium had a drawstring of cases pending against him. According to his 2014 Lok Sabha predetermination affidavit, helium has respective transgression cases against him, including of murder, attempt-to-murder and extortion.

D P Yadav’s lad Vikas was, by then, already embroiled successful the 1999 Jessica Lal execution case. A person of the main convict, Manu Sharma, Vikas was successful 2006 sentenced to 4 years of rigorous imprisonment successful the case.

Standing adjacent the Hapur toll plaza connected that chilly February nighttime successful 2002, Ajay instinctively realised that helium would not triumph this fight. He moved his scooter retired of the car’s mode and fto it pass.

Three days later, TV channels beamed quality of a execution successful Bulandshahr – a man’s assemblage had been recovered connected Shikarpur Road. Ajay watched arsenic the man’s parent declared connected nationalist tv that she knew her son’s killers. Then, the dormant man’s photograph came up connected surface and Ajay felt a knot successful his tummy – helium recognised the man.

“It was the aforesaid antheral I saw adjacent Hapur, sitting beside Vikas Yadav that day. In the photo, helium wore that aforesaid reddish kurta and achromatic stole that I had seen him in,” says Ajay.

Nitish with his parent Neelam Katara

Ajay says it took him astir implicit a week to summon the courageousness to spell to the police. He went to the Kavi Nagar constabulary station, where, helium claims, the Station House Officer (SHO) didn’t perceive him out. “He was astir apt scared. When I told him that I had seen the 4 of them adjacent the Hapur toll plaza that night, helium didn’t judge me,” helium says.

Ajay says the constabulary yet had to instrumentality his relationship earnestly since helium had provided them the astir important portion of grounds — that Nitish was seen with the accused minutes earlier helium was recovered dead. “I gave the constabulary the licence sheet number,” helium says.

In August 2002, the proceedings successful the Nitish Katara execution case started successful the Patiala House courts. On May 31 the pursuing year, Ajay stood up successful tribunal to narrate what helium saw connected that February nighttime successful 2002. That’s erstwhile his troubles began.

The threats

In March 2003, astir 2 months earlier his tribunal appearance, Ajay says, an acquaintance called him to Lucknow to sermon thing “that would payment maine greatly”.

“As we engaged successful tiny talk, D P Yadav walked into the room. I realised I had been trapped into negotiating with him. He told maine to crook into a hostile witness. When I refused, my acquaintance, who was inactive successful the room, said, ‘Do you privation to spot your household dead?’,” helium says, adding that D P Yadav allegedly offered him wealth to enactment quiet. “I had work the room. I knew I was successful danger. So I told him I won’t springiness my testimony, but refused to instrumentality the money,” Ajay claims.

D P Yadav

Yet, helium reached the courtroom and gave his testimony. In the years that followed, a bid of cases were slapped connected Ajay, each of which, helium alleges, were filed astatine D P Yadav’s behest.

The archetypal lawsuit against Ajay was filed successful September 2003, soon aft his archetypal grounds successful court, allegedly by a comparative of D P Yadav. “According to this person, Saroj, I had misbehaved with her and torn her apparel during an statement successful Ghaziabad…I was successful Haridwar astatine that time,” helium says, insisting that helium had ne'er met oregon heard of Saroj earlier the lawsuit was filed against him.

When helium returned to Ghaziabad to grip the matter, Ajay claims that D P Yadav allegedly sent goons to the constabulary presumption to intimidate him. A information item was enactment successful spot for Ajay’s safety, which has remained with him for the past 22 years.

Vikas Yadav, lad of person D P Yadav (Express File photo)

When The Indian Express reached retired to D P Yadav, helium denied having registered immoderate lawsuit against him. “I person not said oregon written a azygous connection against him. I tin springiness it to you successful writing…I tin springiness you an affidavit saying we haven’t said oregon done thing against him.”

When asked astir the attempts connected Katara’s life, Yadav said, “Why would I bash that? Katara is simply a fraud who likes to flaunt his gunmen astir and gain his wealth done amerciable means. He’s saying each these lies to support his information item with him.”

However, portion dismissing the cases against Ajay, judges person successful successive orders taken enactment of the harassment helium has had to face. In 1 specified lawsuit proceeding successful 2024, the tribunal reiterated an bid from 2015, wherever it observed, “The lone nationalist witnesser Ajay Katara, who could not beryllium influenced and stood by his statement, has needed tribunal orders for constabulary extortion and is being subjected to aggregate transgression complaints by relatives of the appellants oregon persons associated to them. The information that each these complaints and cases arose lone aft helium surfaced earlier the constabulary speaks for itself.”

Ajay says the attempts connected his beingness and the mendacious cases person implicit the years travel down and helium has settled into “somewhat of a routine”. (Illustration by Suvajit Dey)In 2019, during the proceeding of a lawsuit successful which Ajay was accused of raping a insignificant successful 2014, the tribunal observed, “The malafide down the allegations against the applicant is writ ample successful presumption of factual backdrop of the presumption of applicant, his admitted enmity with Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav… the past of his mendacious accusation successful arsenic galore arsenic 20 4 (24) transgression cases, wherein either last study was submitted by the section constabulary successful favour of applicant oregon the lawsuit resulted successful acquittal, oregon the proceedings person been stayed by the High Court.”

Despite the play successful his life, Ajay says helium yearned for a “normal” life. In 2005, past 32 years old, helium joined a miss from Ghaziabad, but the matrimony ended successful a divorcement and a lawsuit against Ajay nether IPC Sections related to dowry and intelligence abuse.

In 2008, the Allahabad High Court disposed of the dowry lawsuit against Ajay aft the constabulary filed a cancellation study successful February 2007 – contempt aggregate summons, the pistillate and her lawyers had failed to look successful court.

Vishal Yadav

Between 2007 and 2009, Ajay claims helium faced aggregate attempts connected his life: successful June 2007, helium was allegedly changeable astatine successful Meerut portion helium was determination for work; and successful November 2007, helium was kidnapped and flung from a high-speed car.

In 2013, a POCSO lawsuit was filed against Ajay aft helium accused of kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old miss from Badaun. The lawsuit would agelong connected for astir a decennary contempt being disposed of by the Allahabad High Court connected December 16, 2019. On April 2 this year, the High Court dismissed an exertion seeking revision of its 2019 judgment. It was successful this lawsuit that 2 peculiar permission petitions were filed successful the Supreme Court, allegedly to implicate Katara, aft which the apex tribunal connected September 20 ordered a CBI probe.

In 2013, a pistillate accused Ajay of raping her successful a edifice adjacent Mehrauli. “Once again, I was informed of the lawsuit done TV quality channels. I was successful Andamans this time,” helium says. The closure study was filed the pursuing year.

Even for idiosyncratic who had faced a barrage of cases, the rape cases, helium says, broke him completely. “I fell into heavy slump and mislaid a batch of weight. I couldn’t adjacent get retired of bed. I contemplated suicide. That was the lone clip I wondered if I would person been amended disconnected conscionable giving in,” says Ajay.

Why past had helium preserved for 22 agelong years? “He (Nitin) was a Katara similar me. How could I person fto down different Katara?”

Talking of however Ajay’s grounds was important to the case, his counsel Pradeep Kumar Dey told The Indian Express, “His was the past seen grounds and successful the tribunal of law, that comes nether circumstantial evidence, which is considered precise important. The tribunal tin convict the idiosyncratic based connected that on with immoderate different material.”

‘It’s suffocating’

The two-decade combat has travel astatine a dense terms for Ajay. For one, helium is profoundly distrustful of people. “I person precise fewer friends,” helium says, adding, “I don’t uncover my program successful beforehand to adjacent my information team. Who knows who volition accidental what to whom?”

Growing progressively paranoid for his safety, successful 2019, Ajay rented a location successful Shahdara for a while. “At slightest my household would beryllium harmless if I stayed distant from them,” helium explains. He ensured that the location was connected the apical floor, had astatine slightest 2 exits successful lawsuit helium had to escape, and was located astatine the extremity of a constrictive gully truthful not a batch of men could easy marque their mode into the house.

Even today, his location successful Ghaziabad faces the main gross of his lodging complex. “I always, ever guarantee that my location has much than 1 exit,” helium says. Throughout his speech with The Indian Express, helium insisted connected sitting facing the main gross of his house.

It was a twist of destiny that has defined Ajay and determined however helium would pb the remainder of his life.

Ajay says the attempts connected his beingness and the mendacious cases person implicit the years travel down and helium has settled into “somewhat of a routine”. While 4 days of the week are acceptable speech for tribunal appearances, helium spends the remainder of his clip “catching up connected immoderate is near of life”.

He has since remarried and has a son. And yet, Ajay seldom goes retired with his family. “I person been joined for 14 years now, but I haven’t ever gone retired to ticker a movie with my woman and son,” helium says.

Katara recalls however successful 2020, his woman and son, past six years old, were injured aft a car rammed into their scooter. I utilized to beryllium disquieted my lad would beryllium attacked successful school…But I person learnt to loosen up a spot now… Now, a policeman accompanies my lad to the autobus stop,” helium says.
When his woman ventures extracurricular to bargain vegetables, it’s with the information item successful tow.

“Dum ghut ta hai… Par andhera ko mitane ke liye deepak ko jalna padta hai na? (It’s suffocating… But a lamp needs to pain to emit light),” helium says.