Nitish Katara murder: SC questions Delhi govt's stand for not releasing convict post-jail term

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has questioned the Delhi government's submission that it would not release Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehalwan, serving a 20-year jail term without remission for murder of business executive Nitish Katara in 2002, despite the completion of his actual sentence. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the secretary of the Delhi government's home department to file an affidavit stating on oath that even after the completion 20 years of actual jail term, Yadav would not be released. "Our question is, is it your case that even after completion of 20 years of actual imprisonment, the state will not release the petitioner (Yadav)?" the bench asked the Delhi government counsel. The counsel responded in the affirmative and said Yadav was sentenced to life imprisonment. The apex court noted the high court, in its verdict delivered on February 6, 2015, sentenced Yadav to "life imprisonment which shall be 20 years of actual imprisonment without consideration of remission" and fined him with Rs 10,000.

On Monday, the bench was informed that Yadav would soon complete his 20 years of actual sentence. The bench asked the Delhi government's counsel if a state would read verdicts delivered by the courts this way. The home department secretary was therefore ordered to file the affidavit by February 28 by the bench, which would hear the matter on March 3. Yadav's plea challenged a November 2024 order of the Delhi High Court, which dismissed his petition for releasing him on furlough for three weeks. On October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court awarded a 25-year jail term without the benefit of remission to Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal for their role in the sensational kidnapping and killing of Katara. Co-convict Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehalwan was handed down a 20-year jail term in the case. They were were convicted and sentenced for kidnapping Katara from a marriage party on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002 and then killing him for his alleged affair with Vikas' sister Bharti Yadav. Bharti was the daughter of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav. The trial court observed Katara was murdered as Vishal and Vikas Yadav did not approve of his affair with Bharti as they were from different castes.