The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation and Delhi government on the plea for parole filed by Vikas Yadav, accused in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case, ANI reported. Vikas Yadav had sought four weeks parole. His counsel argued that he has been in jail of 17 years, reported Live Law.
Vikas Yadav is currently serving a jail term of 25 years along with his cousin Vishal Yadav for the murder of business executive Nitish Katara.
Vikas Yadav had planned 25-year-old Katara’s killing because he opposed the victim’s relationship with Bharti, his sister and Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav’s daughter. Katara was abducted and burnt to death in Ghaziabad on February 16, 2002.
In 2014, the Delhi High Court had extended the accused’s jail term to 30 years. The High Court had said that the murder was “very carefully planned and premeditated with extreme vengeance”.
In October 2016, the Supreme Court had revised the High Court order and sent the accused to 25 years in prison.
In November 2015, the Supreme Court had said that the murder can neither be classified as an “honour killing” nor is it the rarest of rare crimes. The top court had said that it does not warrant the death penalty. “Honour killings” are those done when someone is perceived to have brought “dishonour” upon a family, usually by being in a relationship with or marrying someone from a different caste or religion.
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