SC to examine quantum of life sentence to Vikas Yadav

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will examine the quantum of life sentence that may be awarded to Vikas Yadav and others who were convicted for the murder of Nitish Katara as it dismissed Delhi government's plea for death sentence to the accused.

The apex court bench headed by Justice J.S. Khehar directed the listing of the matter in the first week of February as it agreed to look into the Delhi government's plea for a sentence between life, but short of death sentence.

Vikas Yadav and others were sentenced to 25 years of jail term for murdering Nitish Katara and another five years for hatching the conspiracy. The high court had said that both the sentences would run consecutively, thereby making it a prison term of 30 years.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had dismissed the plea of Neelam Katara, mother of Nitish Katara, for enhancement of the sentence to death by hanging, and ruled that the murder did not come under the "rarest of rare" category.