A Kotdwar court deferred the hearing of the plea to January 3. (Representational)
A Kotdwar court on Thursday deferred to January 3 the hearing of a plea seeking a narco and polygraph test of the three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
The Court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Bhawana Pandey deferred the hearing after Amit Sajwan, the defence counsel, filed an affidavit saying the plea seeking a narco and polygraph test lacked clarity.
The plea for a narco and polygraph test of the accused was filed by the prosecution.
"The affidavit filed by the prosecution seeking narco and polygraph test of the accused lacks clarity. It says a narco and polygraph test of the accused has to be conducted.
"However, it does not say whether they want a narco test or a polygraph test or both. It also does not say for what purpose they want it," Mr Sajwan told reporters in Kotdwar.
The plea will be heard on January 3, he added.
The court will close for Christmas on Saturday and reopen on January 3.
The SIT probing into the case has already filed a 500-page charge sheet against the three accused, including the son of a former BJP state unit leader, with the court in Kotdwar.
Uttarakhand High Court has also rejected a plea seeking a CBI probe into the case, saying the ongoing SIT investigation should not be doubted.
Bhandari, 19, worked as a receptionist at Vanantara resort near Rishikesh and was allegedly killed by its owner Pulkit Arya and his two accomplices after she refused to yield to their pressure to offer "extra services" to a VIP visitor.
Her murder had triggered a massive public outrage.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)