The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed Vikas Yadav, serving life imprisonment in the Nitish Katara murder case, to attend the marriage ceremony of his sister, Bharti Yadav, on November 1 at a farmhouse on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road “under judicial custody”.
He had sought suspension of his sentence and interim bail to attend the ceremony but the Court rejected it.
Rejecting his plea, a Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice Anil Kumar and Justice Vipin Sanghi said: “That the appellant (Vikas) committed the offence of murder of Nitish Katara and other offences when he was on bail in the murder case of Jessica Lal cannot be brushed aside lightly as the confidence reposed by the Court in releasing him on bail was not sustained and honoured by him, and this fact cannot be taken lightly.’’
The Court had also questioned his conduct when he was on bail in the Jessica Lal murder case during the hearing of the bail application.
“Considering the rival contentions and the entirety of facts and circumstances, this Court is not inclined to suspend the sentence of the applicant and release him on interim bail,’’ the Bench said.
The Bench said that Vikas would be taken to the marriage venue three hours before the time of reception of barat and be allowed to attend the marriage ceremony till doli which could go into late hours or till early hours of the next day.
The custodial officials under whose custody the applicant should attend the marriage ceremony of his sister would be in plain clothes.
However, they would be at liberty to take such measures and use such devices and equipment at the venue of marriage and at such other places which shall be deemed necessary by them to ensure that the applicant did not abscond or flee and/or assisted by any one in fleeing from judicial custody or committing any offence in any manner while attending the marriage of his sister under custodial parole, the order said.
After the marriage ceremony, the applicant be sent back or lodged at the appropriate jail, the Bench further stated.
Bharti was a key witness in the case in the Nitish Katara murder case.
Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav are at present serving life term in the case. A trial court had last year sentenced the two to life imprisonment, holding them guilty of kidnapping and later killing Nitish Katara because they were opposed to Bharti continuing her alleged love affair with the deceased.
