The Supreme Court on Friday allowed temporary respite to Vikas Yadav, serving a 25-year prison term without remission for the 2002 murder of business executive Nitish Katara, granting him furlough to spend time with his family during Holi.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Vipul M. Pancholi permitted his release until March 7, taking note that Yadav has already spent 23 years behind bars. “Furlough is now sought because he wishes to spend time during Holi. Without going into the merits, we permit the petitioner to be released on furlough till March 7,” the Court said.
The hearing witnessed pointed exchanges. When counsel for the complainant opposed the plea, the Bench questioned the basis of continued resistance after over two decades of incarceration. “You want to hang him? Is it? What is the point of hearing you in this matter? After 23 years, you don’t want to let things go. We need to let things go,” the judges remarked.
Justice Sundresh also observed orally that structured temporary release, in appropriate cases, aligns with the reformative objectives of criminal law — a philosophy that views incarceration not merely as retribution, but as a process aimed at eventual reintegration.
The order marks a departure from the view taken by the Delhi High Court on February 11, which had rejected Yadav’s plea for 21 days’ furlough. The High Court had ruled that he stood convicted of “grave offences” and was statutorily ineligible under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018. It found no illegality in the October 29, 2025, decision of prison authorities declining his application.
Yadav had argued that as a long-term convict who had completed a substantial portion of his sentence, he was entitled to furlough under established correctional norms.
Furlough, distinct from parole or remission, is a temporary release granted after a prisoner has served a prescribed part of the sentence. It does not dilute the conviction or reduce the term imposed by the court. Instead, it functions as a correctional measure, allowing inmates to maintain family and social connections, thereby easing eventual reintegration.
The litigation over Yadav’s custody status has been recurring. In September 2025, the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea seeking extension of interim bail, holding it not maintainable. Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to enable him to care for his ailing mother, a relief he later sought to extend, citing his marriage.
Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav, was convicted in the high-profile kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara. Katara was abducted from a wedding celebration on the intervening night of February 16–17, 2002, allegedly because of his relationship with Bharti Yadav, Vikas Yadav’s sister. The prosecution case established that the crime stemmed from disapproval of the inter-caste relationship — an act the courts later characterised as driven by honour-based motives and entrenched social prejudice.
In 2016, the Supreme Court modified the sentence imposed by the Delhi High Court, reducing it from 30 years without remission to 25 years without remission for Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav. A co-convict, Sukhdev Yadav, was awarded a 20-year term. While affirming the gravity of the offence, the Court had underscored that the punishment must reflect both societal condemnation and constitutional discipline.
