Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) of Ghaziabad court Dinesh Kumar has written to then district judge N K Jain, requesting that he be relieved from hearing cases involving Vikas Yadav, prime accused in Nitish Katara’s murder in 2002.

Reason: ACJM Kumar claims he has received threats to his life from people on behalf of Yadav.

The letter, dated July 15, says the last threat call Kumar received was on the afternoon of June 14 — from a man claiming to be politician D P Yadav, Vikas’s father. Newsline has a copy of the letter.

“Vikas Yadav, who has been registered under Sections 452, 323, 304 and other Sections in Ghaziabad court... the hearing in the cases will come up in my court,” the letter says. “I received a call on my mobile (number withheld by Newsline) from 09413607318 on July 14, 2008 around 12.50.

“The caller told me that he is D P Yadav (calling) from Lucknow and asked me to pass an order that the convict (Vikas Yadav) lodged in Tihar Jail should be transferred to Dasna prison (in Ghaziabad)... or else I have to bear the consequences.”

Then district judge, Jain was subsequently promoted and transferred from Ghaziabad recently.

The letter says, “As the caller claimed to be D P Yadav, and my life is in danger, I request you to transfer the case from my court to another court. I will be obliged.”

Jain, incidentally, had approved Kumar’s leave application the same day on grounds of ill health. Sources said the Ghaziabad district collector has also been asked to take appropriate action in the case.

Kumar did not want to comment on the issue, and said, “The district judge is the appropriate authority for comments.” Jain, on his part, asked Newsline to get in touch with Kumar: “It will be fit to get comments from Dinesh Kumar as the matter is related to him.”

Vikas Yadav’s counsel G K Bharti refused to comment on the issue.