Katara case: Mother says she has won a battle

Tears welled up Neelam Katara's eyes when the Katara murder verdict was pronounced on Wednesday after a six-year wait for justice. 

Moments after the historic judgment was delivered, an emotional Neelam, the mother of slain Katara, told rediff.com, "It took sometime to sink in and I realized that eventually I had managed to win the battle. I am grateful to God, judiciary and people of the country who stood by me during the hour of crisis and gave me the strength to fight relentless battle against the powerful and mighty."

B S Joon, the public prosecutor, gave full credit to Neelam.

"But for her battle, we would have struggled for evidence. But I was sure that we were on the right track. We had put up 20 evidences and I am yet to find out which one had been accepted by the judge. It was a case of circumstantial evidence. We did not rely on those pieces of evidence which we felt was weak. I am glad that we have been able to convict the accused persons," Joon told rediff.com.

"Never did I think that I was going to give up," Neelam said, adding, "This judgment will be a milestone in the judicial history of India."