New Delhi, Feb 11, 2026
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea filed by Nitish Katara murder case convict Vikas Yadav seeking 21 days’ furlough to maintain social ties and spend time with his wife following his recent marriage.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Ravinder Dudeja held that there was no arbitrariness, illegality or violation of constitutional rights in the order passed by the Director General (DG) of Prisons rejecting Yadav’s request for release.
“This Court finds no arbitrariness, illegality or violation of constitutional rights in the order dated October 29 or the corrigendum dated December 1, 2025. The petition is accordingly dismissed,” Justice Dudeja said while pronouncing the verdict.
Yadav, who has been convicted in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case, is serving a fixed 25-year sentence and has undergone over 23 years of actual incarceration.
In his petition, Yadav challenged the October 29, 2025 decision of the jail authorities denying him furlough. He contended that the rejection was arbitrary and failed to take into account that he had earlier been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court for over four and a half months on account of his mother’s medical treatment, which was later extended on the ground of his marriage.
The plea stated that Yadav has remained in continuous custody for 23 years without being granted furlough and now seeks temporary release to maintain social ties, particularly with his wife.
However, the prison authorities opposed the plea, citing the gravity of the offence, the severity of the sentence imposed and the absence of requisite annual conduct reports.
The jail authorities further stated that there were concerns that the convict might flee the country, disturb public order or cause harm to the victim’s family.
The victim’s family also expressed apprehensions regarding their safety in the event of his release. Rejecting the plea, the Delhi High Court upheld the decision of the prison authorities, observing that no grounds were made out to interfere with the impugned orders.
Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav, among others, were convicted and sentenced to 25 years of actual imprisonment without consideration of remission for kidnapping Katara from a marriage party in February 2002 and then killing him for his alleged affair with their sister Bharti Yadav.
Katara was murdered as the Yadav duo did not approve of his alleged relationship with Bharti because they belonged to different castes, the trial court had observed in its verdict.(Agency)
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