Nitish Katara murder: SC extends interim bail of Vikas Yadav by two weeks

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended by two weeks the interim bail of a convict undergoing a 25-year jail term in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case to attend to his ailing mother.

Vikas Yadav was granted interim bail on April 24 which was extended on May 8.

On Tuesday, Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan extended the relief by two more weeks to enable Yadav to attend to his mother, who had undergone surgery at AIIMS in New Delhi.

The top court, however, clarified Yadav would not be allowed any more extensions as it posted the matter in July.

His counsel said since the surgery was performed on May 25, his mother required post operative care and with no siblings or anyone at home, Yadav was needed to take her care.

On May 8, the top court took into account a report of the AIIMS medical board which said Yadav’s mother was hemodynamically stable and fit to be discharged.

The AIIMS in its opinion said if the patient failed to respond to conservative management (physiotherapy and medications), then surgical decompression of the lumbar spinal canal was recommended.

The top court then extended the interim bail granted to him to look after his mother.

On April 24, the top court granted interim bail to Yadav to meet his ailing mother and directed that she be examined by a medical board of AIIMS doctors.

Imposing conditions, the top court directed the convict to remain confined to his house in Ghaziabad and not get in touch with the case's witnesses, including Katara's mother Neelam Katara.

The apex court granted him the relief subject to depositing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of the like amount.

Vikas is the son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav. His cousin Vishal Yadav was also punished for the kidnapping and murder of business executive Katara.

The duo was against Katara's alleged affair with Bharti Yadav, sister of Vikas, as they belonged to different castes.

Another co-convict Sukhdev Pehalwan was given a 20-year jail term without any remission benefit.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court, while upholding the life imprisonment awarded to Vikas and Vishal Yadav by the trial court, specified a 30-year sentence, without any remission, to both of them.

It had awarded a 25-year jail term to the third convict, Pehalwan.

The Delhi prisons administration had last year rejected Yadav's remission request after his conduct was found to be unsatisfactory. PTI MNL MNL AMK AMK