Delhi High Court today granted two weeks' parole to Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehelwan, serving a 25-year jail term without remission for the murder of Nitish Katara, and asked him to surrender "immediately" on expiry of the period.
Justice G P Mittal extended the interim relief to accused Pehelwan on the grounds that he had remained in jail for over 10 years and it would be "appropriate to grant him parole for two weeks" in order to prepare his appeal against the recent high court judgement.
The court also asked him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount, besides imposing several conditions on him.
The court directed Pehelwan to provided a mobile number to Tihar jail superintendent before his release from the prison and asked him to visit the police station every day.
"He (Pehelwan) shall not seek extension of the parole. He shall immediately surrender after expiry of his parole," the court said.
Pehelwan had sought 60 days' parole saying he wished to challenge in the Supreme Court, the high court verdict in the murder case and wanted to consult a senior lawyer to prepare a special leave petition against his conviction and sentence.
The high court on February 6 had enhanced the sentence for Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, and his cousin Vishal from life imprisonment to 25 years without remission for the murder of Nitish Katara and five more years for destruction of evidence in the case.
Yadavs' acquaintance Pehelwan was also awarded an enhanced life sentence of 25 years without remission by the high court.
The three were awarded life term by a trial court for abducting and killing Katara, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002. They did not approve of the victim's affair with Bharti, the daughter of D P Yadav.
The high court had on April 2, 2014 upheld the verdict of the lower court in the case by describing the offence as "honour killing" stemming from a "deeply-entrenched belief" in caste system.
