‘If not settled now, over for me’: Katara murder convict Vikas Yadav moves HC, seeks interim bail to get married

He has submitted that the benefit of statutory remission to a convict does not fall within the sentencing powers of the HC.

On Friday, the court sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government on Yadav’s petition. Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued the notice even as Nitish Katara’s mother Neelam Katara, the original complainant in the case, objected to the plea.

Katara, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of business executive Nitish Katara in 2002, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in April, which was extended later. Yadav is due to return to jail on August 26 when the period of the interim bail ends.

Senior advocate N Hariharan, appearing on behalf of Yadav, informed HC that Yadav is seeking interim bail on two grounds.

One of the grounds is that Yadav’s wedding has been fixed for September 5.

“I’m 51… if I’m not settled now, it’s over for me… Somebody ultimately decided to marry me… somebody decided to give their daughter, and the daughter also agreed,” he told the court.

Yadav also submitted that he has to make financial arrangements by selling two of his immovable properties at Badaun and Bulandshahr to pay a fine of Rs 54 lakh that was imposed by the HC as part of his sentence. Non-payment of the fine will result in additional three years of imprisonment, he told the court.

Justice Dudeja questioned the maintainability of such a request for interim bail before the High Court since Yadav is a convict serving his sentence, and his appeal against the conviction already stands dismissed by the Supreme Court. In 2016, the SC confirmed the conviction and sentence of a 25-year jail term without any benefit of remission to Vikas and his cousin Vishal in the case.

The HC will next hear his interim bail plea on September 2, three days before his wedding.