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Vikas Yadav, serving life sentence for killing Nitish Katara in 2002, has moved the Delhi High Court seeking furlough for a period of three weeks.
The petition comes after the competent authority recently dismissed his furlough application, which had been filed in accordance with the liberty granted by the Delhi High Court in its order dated August 22, passed by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma in a previous petition. In October, the Delhi Prisons administration rejected the furlough request of Vikas Yadav, who is serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail for the 2002 murder of business executive Nitish Katara. The rejection followed an assessment of his conduct, which was deemed "unsatisfactory." The plea moved through advocates Kanhaiya Singhal and Ujwal Ghai submitted that the petitioner has spent over 22 years in judicial custody, and if the remission period is considered, he has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years without a single day out of jail. He has never availed bail or parole during this time. "At the time of the alleged offense, he was only 27 years old, and now, at approximately 50, his hair has grayed, and he is losing hope in life. The petitioner seeks a breath of fresh air outside the confines of prison, given the prolonged duration of his imprisonment," the plea stated. The plea further stated that the petitioner has previously applied for furlough on multiple occasions and has also approached this Hon'ble Court for parole/furlough, but has not been successful, except for the grant of custody parole. However, it is important to consider that the petitioner is a human being, and he is not wanted in any other case for trial or sentencing. The petitioner has fully reformed himself, and at this juncture, he seeks a chance for a positive reintegration into society, the plea stated. "The petitioner, Vilas Yadav who has been separated from society for the past 22 years, seeks to re-establish his social ties and reunite with his loved ones. It is submitted that, having already endured over 22 years of judicial custody, there is no likelihood of him absconding from the sentence of 25 years as prescribed by this Court", the plea further said. Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav are serving life imprisonment in the Nitish Katara murder case. According to the prosecution, Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav killed Katara on the night of February 17, 2002, after abducting him from a marriage party in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad as they were opposed to his friendship with their sister Bharti. (ANI)
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