SC upholds conviction of Vikas Yadav, cousin Vishal, Sukhdev Pehalwan in Nitish Katara murder case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the conviction of three convicts -Yadav, Vishal Yadav, Sukhdev Pehalwan – in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case.

The SC, however, agreed to hear the issue of quantum of punishment in the said case. The apex court also issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Police over their jail sentences.

Meanwhile speaking to news agency ANI, Nitish’s mother Neelam expressed her delight with the verdict, saying it is a very big day.

“What I have been saying for 13 and a half years, that stand has been vindicated, highest court of country has upheld the conviction,” she added.

Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed a plea by Vikas Yadav, who is serving a 30-year jail term without remission in the Katara murder case, seeking extension of the parole granted to him.

Yadav was in April granted seven-day custody parole by the high court to visit his 93-year-old ailing grandfather and to challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court.

After expiry of parole, he had again moved the high court for an extension of three more weeks.

However, on April 10, the high court’s single-judge bench dismissed the plea and the order, which Yadav challenged before the division bench.

A division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice RS Endlaw dismissed the appeal, saying the single-judge order of granting one week’s parole was free from “perversity or illegality”.

Challenging the April 10 order, Yadav had said he was not able to prepare the appeal in seven days of parole time granted to him, and thus needed extension of parole as the documents in the case were bulky and more time was needed to prepare his appeal in the Supreme Court.

Police, however, opposed the plea, saying enough time had been granted to him to prepare for appeal.

The high court on February 6 had enhanced to a 30-year jail term without remission the life sentence awarded to Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav for Katara’s murder.

Vikas Yadav, son of politician DP Yadav, had earlier pleaded before the court that his conduct had been good throughout his 13 years in jail so far.

Nitish Katara, a business executive, was a friend of Vikas Yadav’s sister. He was abducted from a marriage party in Ghaziabad on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002, and was later killed by the Yadav brothers.

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Source:Zeenews