Drawing to close the sensational Nitish Katara murder case after 14 years, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that convicts Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal will serve 25 years in prison each. The apex body also sentenced their associate Sukhdev Pehalwan, another convict in the crime to 20 years in prison.
Here is an insight into one of the nation’s most petrifying cases:
Nitish Katara was a 25-year-old Indian business executive in Delhi. He was murdered in the early hours of February 17, 2002, by Vikas Yadav (son of influential criminal-politician D. P. Yadav).
This young businessman had recently graduated from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and had fallen in love with his classmate, Bharti Yadav, sister of Vikas Yadav.
As the family of Bharti Yadav did not approve of their relation, the court held murder of Nitish Katara – a case of honour killing.
On February, 17, 2002, the couple (Nitish Katara and Bharti Yadav) were present at a common friend's wedding, where Yadav's brother, Vikas, and a cousin were present as well.
From there, Katara was taken for a drive by brothers Vikas and Vishal Yadav, never to return. After three days, Katara's body was found beside the highway (his body was battered to death with a hammer, diesel poured on him, and even set ablaze).
Katara's friends thought he would be returning soon, but when he did not return past midnight, Bharat Divakar, who had accompanied Nitish to the wedding in a taxi, went to their house.
It was 3 am in the morning when Nitish’s mother Neelam Katara opened the door. She immediately called Bharti to know the whereabouts of her son. However, it turned out that Bharti herself was trying to find out Nitish's whereabouts.
She then asked Neelam “to visit the police station”, adding that maybe her brothers – Vikas and Vishal – had taken Nitish to Punjab.
At 8 am in the morning, Neelam called D. P. Yadav, who said that he was unaware of his son's whereabouts.
Next morning, the police found a battered and burned body at Khurja, 80 km from the wedding venue. The body had been so badly beaten that "the digestive system had fallen out".
At around 11 am in the morning, Neelam Katara filed a First Information Report. Based on the statements by Bharti Yadav and her, initial warrants were issued against Vikas and Vishal Yadav.
After being handed over to the U.P. police, they gave a more detailed confession on having kidnapped and killed Nitish Katara, which the Police recorded on audiotape. In their confession, Yadav admitted to taking Katara from the party, murdering him, and burning the body.
Right after the murder, Bharti Yadav, whose testimony was required in the trial, moved to London for an extended period. From there, she is supposed to have been sent e-mails to Katara's brother, blaming her father D. P. Yadav for sanctioning the murder whereas in her subsequent court testimony, she backtracked and claimed that the account was not hers.
Court proceedings at a glance:
- On May 30, 2008, a New Delhi fast track court handed Vikas and Vishal Yadav life sentences for kidnapping and murdering Nitish Katara. Both were also fined Rs.1,60, 000 each.
- On July 1, 2008, Nitish’s mother Neelam Katara approached Delhi High Court seeking death penalty for Vikas and Vishal.
- In November 2009, Vikas Yadav was granted bail for Bharti's marriage with a local businessman. Vikas Yadav was granted bail 66 times in the first two years of his incarceration, often with no clear reason documented.
- Nitish Katara's mother accused the jail authorities of being in cahoots with Yadav's influential family and requested a formal investigation.
- On April 16, 2013, High Court reserves its judgement on appeals filed by Neelam, three convicts and prosecution.
- On April 2, 2014, the Delhi High Court upheld the Trial Court verdict of sentencing Life Imprisonment to both the accused brothers Vikas Yadav, Vishal Yadav and even the contract killer Sukhdev Pehalwan to life imprisionment.
- On April 25, 2014, Delhi High Court fixed the date May 16 as the date for hearing the arguments on quantum of sentence to be awarded to controversial UP politician DP Yadav's son Vikas and two others in the 2002 case.
- On June 13, 2014, Delhi High Court denied immediate relief to Vishal Yadav, one of the three life convicts in Nitish Katara murder case, on his plea seeking release of two sureties and his brother's passport deposited for his 10-day parole.
- On February 6, 2015, Vikas and Vishal Yadav were awared 25 years imprisonment without remission by Delhi High Court whereas their servant Sukhdev Pehelwan got life imprisonment.
- On September 21, 2016, Vikas Yadav appeals for his prison term to be reduced after serving 14 years in jail.
- Finally, on October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that convict Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal will serve an imprisonment of 25 years each, whereas their aide Sukhdev Pehalwan will serve 20 years in jail.
