The Supreme Court today refused to extend the interim bail granted to Nitish Katara murder convict Vikas Yadav. The top court granted bail to Yadav in April so that he could look after his ailing mother. Since then, it has extended the relief on the same ground.
In the last hearing, Yadav requested the court for bail extension, citing his wedding on September 5. His interim bail continued after a Supreme Court judge recused from hearing the matter.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma today told Yadav's lawyer that the matter is already pending before the Delhi High Court, and it is not proper for the top court to entertain an appeal against an interim order of the high court.
Senior advocate S Gurukrishna Kumar, appearing for Yadav, urged the top court to grant a four-day bail extension so that Yadav can file an appropriate application in the high court. The top court refused to accept the request.
The lawyer for Nitish Katara's mother, Neelam Katara, told the court that Yadav is out on interim bail since April 24 and should not receive any special treatment. He must surrender and apply for furlough just like any other convict, the lawyer said.
Yadav, now 54, has completed 23 years of his sentence. He has said he needed to be out on bail to arrange the fine of Rs 54 lakh that was imposed on him at the time of sentencing. He has also challenged the denial of remission before he completed 25 years in jail.
Yadav has said he should be allowed bail till the court decides his petition challenging the sentence without remission. Now, the top court has asked him to go to the high court, where his plea is pending.
Brothers Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav are serving a life sentence for the 2002 murder of 23-year-old businessman Nitish Katara. The brothers murdered Nitish Katara for his relationship with their sister, the investigation had found.
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