The Supreme Court has ordered the release of Sukhdev Yadav, convicted in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case, citing completion of his 20-year sentence. The court questioned the Sentence Review Board's rejection of his remission plea.
The HC enhanced the life term of three convicts -- Vikas and Vishal Yadav to 30 years imprisonment and 25 years incarceration to Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehalwan.
Gangster Sukhdev Pehalwan, who had helped former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav's son Vikas Yadav and nephew Vishal Yadav in abducting and killing Nitish Katara in 2002 for allegedly being friendly to their sister, was convicted on Wednesday for murder and kidnapping by a Delhi court. Additional Sessions Judge J R Aryan held Pehalwan -- whose trial had been held separately after he jumped bail -- guilty of destroying evidence. His trial was conducted separately.
Neelam Katara on Tuesday termed it as "shocking" that a Delhi Court did not consider the murder of her son Nitish Katara as an "honour killing" when it was established he was eliminated for his intimacy with Bharti Yadav, sister of main accused Vikas and Vishal Yadav.
The apex court bench, comprising Justices J S Khehar and Adarsh Kumar Goel, heard senior lawyers including U R Lalit for almost two hours before saying that the high court order "does not call for" any intervention.
Rejecting the plea for death penalty, the apex court in its order said, 'It's just a murder; that's it.'
The SC also sentenced Sukhdev Pehalwan to 20 years.
A bench rejected the review plea saying there was no reason to interfere with the court's verdict of October 3 last year.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of three convicts, including Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, for the abduction and murder of Nitish Katara in 2002, saying it was a case of "honour killing".
The plea had said that the courts are not permitted under the statute to specify the time limit of the imprisonment and put a condition that the jail term will operate without any grant of remission.
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