New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a three-month furlough to Sukhdev Yadav, also known as Pehalwan, in connection with the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case.
A bench comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran observed that Yadav has served 20 years of uninterrupted incarceration without any remission. Consequently, the top court ordered that Yadav must be presented before the trial court within seven days, where appropriate conditions would be imposed on him prior to granting furlough.
Furlough is a temporary release from prison, distinct from a suspension or remission of the entire sentence, and is usually granted to long-term inmates who have completed a portion of their sentence. Yadav's plea had contested a November 2024 judgment by the Delhi High Court, which had refused his request for a three-week furlough.
On October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav to a 25-year jail term without remission for their involvement in the high-profile kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara. Co-convict Sukhdev Yadav received a 20-year jail term for his role in the case.
The trio was convicted and sentenced for kidnapping Katara on the night between February 16 and 17, 2002, from a marriage party, and subsequently murdering him due to his alleged romantic relationship with Vikas' sister, Bharti Yadav. Bharti is the daughter of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav.
The trial court found that Katara was murdered as Vishal and Vikas Yadav disapproved of his relationship with Bharti because of their different caste backgrounds.
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