Delhi High Court denies furlough to Nitish Katara murder convict Vikas Yadav

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea filed by Nitish Katara murder case convict Vikas Yadav seeking furlough for three weeks [Vikas Yadav v. The State NCT of Delhi Through Secretary & Ors]. 

Justice Ravinder Dudeja said that there was no arbitrariness or violation of Yadav's constitutional rights in the order passed by the Director General of Prisons rejecting his plea for release from jail.

A detailed order is awaited.

Katara, a 25-year-old business executive, was abducted and murdered in 2002 by Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav - relatives of politician DP Yadav - owing to his relationship with Bharti Yadav, Vikas’s sister. 

The crime was deemed an “honour killing”, as it was committed on caste and family honour issues. Katara’s charred body was found near Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. After years of trials and appeals, both Vikas and Vishal Yadav were sentenced to life imprisonment. 

In his plea, Vikas Yadav challenged the order of the DG Prisons rejecting his plea for release from jail. He argued that he has served over 23 years of a fixed 25-year sentence for life imprisonment. 

The prison authorities denied Yadav’s furlough application, citing the seriousness of his crime, absence of required annual conduct reports and opposition from the victim’s family, which expressed fears for their safety if he were released.

However, Yadav has stated that he was on interim bail for over 4 months for his mother’s medical treatment and marriage, during which there were no incidents or complaints about misuse of liberty.

Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa appeared for Vikas Yadav. The petition for furlough has been filed through Advocates Hemendra Jailiya and Sanjay Baranwal.