Nitish Katara murder: SC refuses to extend interim bail of convict Vikas Yadav

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to extend the interim bail of Vikas Yadav — currently serving a 25-year jail term in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case — who wanted to be out of jail to get married.

"Now it’s marriage, then you will have children; it will go on and on...," a Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma told senior counsel Guru Krishnakumar, who represented Yadav.

Earlier, the Bench had extended Yadav’s interim bail by a week.

Yadav (54) has spent over 23 years in jail and has challenged the Delhi High Court’s September 9 interim order denying him extension of interim bail. He surrendered the same day and moved the top court for bail on the grounds of his marriage and for arranging more than Rs 54 lakh towards the fine imposed on him as part of the sentence in the case.

"I do not have an Aadhaar card. I have to organise all my documents. And I need to mobilise funds for paying the fine of Rs 54 lakh as part of the punishment imposed on me," Krishnakumar said, adding the high court will be hearing the matter only on December 2.

Noting that it would be a never ending process if his plea was accepted, the top court turned down his request for interim bail.

Vikas Yadav — the son of Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav — and his cousin Vishal Yadav were punished for the kidnapping and murder of business executive Nitish Katara.

They kidnapped Katara from a marriage party on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002, and then killed him for his alleged affair with Vikas’ sister Bharti Yadav as he belonged to another caste.

Another co-convict, Sukhdev Pehalwan, was given a 20-year jail term without any remission benefit. On July 29, the top court ordered his release after he completed his 20-year sentence in March this year.