The Delhi High Court has reserved its decision on the furlough plea filed by Vikas Yadav, who is serving a 25-year jail term in the Nitish Katara murder case. The court will decide whether the convict can be temporarily released from prison despite objections raised by jail authorities and the victim’s family.
The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its decision on a plea filed by Vikas Yadav, who is currently serving a 25-year jail sentence in the Nitish Katara murder case. Vikas Yadav has requested to be released from prison for a short period on furlough.
After hearing detailed arguments from both sides, Justice Ravinder Dudeja said that the court would pass its order later. The judge also said that both sides are allowed to submit their written arguments in the case.
Earlier, the High Court had issued notices to the Delhi government, jail authorities, Nitish Katara’s mother Nilam Katara, and witness Ajay Katara. All of them were asked to file their replies to the furlough plea.
Vikas Yadav has challenged the decision of the prison authorities dated October 29, 2025, through which his furlough application was rejected.
Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Vikas Yadav, told the court that the convict is seeking his first furlough for a period of 21 days. He said the purpose of the furlough is to help Vikas maintain social relations, especially because he recently got married.
The counsel argued that the jail authorities rejected the furlough request without properly applying their mind, even though Vikas fulfilled all the conditions required under the Delhi Prisons Rules. He also submitted that furlough cannot be refused only because a person is serving a fixed-term sentence or because of the seriousness of the offence.
On the other hand, the prison authorities opposed the request and said that Vikas Yadav’s conduct in jail was “unsatisfactory”. They also rejected the furlough plea by pointing to the nature of the crime, the sentence imposed, and the concerns raised by the victim’s family.
According to the jail authorities, there is a fear that if Vikas is released, he may abscond to another country, disturb public peace, and may cause irreparable harm to the victim’s family.
Also Read: 2002 Nitish Katara Murder Case| Delhi HC to Hear Vikas Yadav’s Furlough Plea on January 8
Furlough is a temporary release granted to prisoners and does not mean suspension or reduction of the sentence. It is generally given to long-term prisoners who have already served a significant part of their sentence and have shown good conduct.
The High Court had earlier dismissed another plea filed by Vikas Yadav in September 2025, in which he had sought extension of interim bail. That plea was rejected on the grounds of maintainability and lack of jurisdiction.
At that time, Vikas was out on interim bail that had been granted by the Supreme Court of India to allow him to look after his ailing mother.
Vikas Yadav is the son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav. His cousin Vishal Yadav was also convicted and punished in the same case.
The case relates to the kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara, which took place in 2002. The motive behind the crime was the alleged relationship between Nitish Katara and Bharti Yadav, who is Vikas Yadav’s sister. The accused were opposed to the relationship because the two belonged to different castes.
Another co-convict in the case, Sukhdev Pehalwan, was sentenced to 20 years in jail without any remission benefit. On July 29, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered his release after noting that he had completed his full 20-year sentence in March 2025. However, Sukhdev Pehalwan later died in a road accident.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had upheld the life imprisonment awarded to Vikas and Vishal Yadav by the trial court but specified that both of them must serve at least 30 years in prison without any remission.
Later, on October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court modified the sentence and awarded a fixed term of 25 years’ imprisonment without remission to Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav for their role in the crime. Co-convict Sukhdev Yadav was awarded a 20-year jail term.
All the accused were convicted for kidnapping Nitish Katara from a marriage party on the intervening night of February 16 and 17, 2002, and then murdering him because of his alleged relationship with Bharti Yadav.
The Delhi High Court’s decision on Vikas Yadav’s furlough plea is now awaited.
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