Supreme Court Grants Furlough to Nitish Katara Murder Convict After 20 Years

The Supreme Court granted a three-month furlough to Sukhdev Yadav, also known as Pehalwan, convicted in the infamous 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. The court's decision came after Yadav completed 20 years of incarceration without remission, with Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran acknowledging his extensive time served.

Yadav is to be presented before the trial court within a week, where the conditions of his furlough will be finalized. A key consideration for his release will be the safety of Neelam Katara, as mandated by the court. Yadav had requested furlough pending his appeal for sentence remission.

Previously, Yadav, alongside Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of Katara, motivated by Katara's alleged relationship with Vikas' sister, Bharti Yadav—daughter of politician DP Yadav. The high-profile case resulted in a 2015 verdict mandating a 20-year minimum sentence without remission.

(With inputs from agencies.)