'You want to hang...accused?' SC disappointed at Nitish Katara's family
What's the story
The Supreme Court has granted a temporary release on furlough to Vikas Yadav, convicted in the Nitish Katara murder case. While granting him relief, the court noted that Yadav has served over 23 years of his 25-year sentence without remission. "Furlough is now sought on the ground that he wishes to spend time during Holi. Without going into the merits, we permit the petitioner to be released...till 7 March," a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Vipul M Pancholi ordered.
Opposition dismissed
'You want to hang him?': Judge's response to opposition
The court dismissed the opposition of the complainant's counsel, who had opposed Yadav's furlough plea. Justice Sundresh questioned the need for continued opposition after such a long time, saying, "You want to hang him? Is it? What is the point of hearing you in this matter?" "After 23 years, you don't want to let things go...Our biggest problem in life is, we don't let things go. What he has done, has been done," Justice Sundresh said.
Court
'Sometimes granting relief can aid in reforming prisoners'
The judge emphasized that sometimes granting relief can aid in reforming prisoners. "In the Madras High Court, I granted furlough to everyone who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a bomb blast case. After that period ended and they returned to prison, their behavior had changed. Over time, they developed a sense of remorse," Justice Sundresh observed.
Case background
Murder case
The 2002 Katara murder case involved the kidnapping and killing of Katara from a marriage party by former cabinet minister DP Yadav's son Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav. Katara's body was found charred near Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. They had carried out the crime over Katara's alleged affair with Vikas' sister, Bharti Yadav. They were sentenced to 25 years in prison without remission by the SC on October 3, 2016.
Security measures
Supreme Court directs Yadav to surrender by March 7
The Supreme Court has directed Yadav to surrender by March 7 at 5:00pm. The court also allowed the complainant, Nilam Katara, to seek additional security from authorities. Advocate Vrinda Bhandari opposed the grant of furlough, arguing that Yadav wasn't eligible under Delhi Prison Rules and had approached the court at the last minute. However, Justice Sundresh said, "Every sinner has got a future," implying that granting relief could help in reforming prisoners.