Katara case: HC reserves order on parole extension plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its order on a plea filed by Vikas Yadav, serving a 30-year jail term without remission in the Nitish Katara murder case.

Yadav has challenged the decision of a single judge refusing extension of the parole granted to him.

Yadav was recently granted seven-day custody parole by the high court's single judge to visit his 93-year-old ailing grandfather and to challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court.

After expiry of parole, he had again moved the court for extension of three more weeks. However, on April 10 the single judge dismissed the plea.

On Monday, a division bench of Chief Justice and Justice R.S. Endlaw reserved the order after the respective counsels appearing for Yadav and police concluded their arguments.

Challenging the April 10 order, Yadav said he was not able to prepare the appeal in seven days of parole time granted to him, and thus needed extension of parole as the documents in the case are bulky and more time was needed to prepare his appeal in the Supreme Court.

The police, however, opposed the plea, saying enough time had been granted to him to prepare for appeal.

The high court on February 6 had enhanced to 30-year jail term without remission the life sentence awarded to Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav for Katara's murder, a friend of Vikas Yadav's sister.

Vikas Yadav, son of politician D.P. Yadav, had earlier pleaded before the court that his conduct had been good throughout his 13 years in jail.