Nitish Katara murder case: Delhi HC upholds life term for convicts; mother Neelam ‘happy’
Court says Nitish Katara's murder was a case of honour killing
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld a trial court order sentencing three convicts in the Nitish Katara murder case to life imprisonment, saying Katara's murder was a case of honour killing.
The High Court will hear arguments on quantum of sentence on April 25.
Nearly a year after reserving its verdict, the Delhi High Court pronounced the judgement on appeals of three convicts against a lower court order awarding rigorous life imprisonment to them for abducting and killing Nitish Katara in 2002. A bench of justices Gita Mittal and JR Midha had reserved the verdict on appeals of Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav, his cousin Vishal and Sukhdev Yadav on April 16, last year after hearing final arguments.
The lawyers for the convicts, state and Neelam Katara, mother of the victim, had started advancing final arguments on April 16, 2012.
Mother of Nitish Katara said her stand has been vindicated by the high court which held that the murder of her son was a case of honour killing.
"This is an important stage and this battle for justice would continue. With the High Court's judgement, my stand is vindicated that it is a case of honour killing. We will try for death sentence for the convicts," Neelam Katara said.
"I am satisfied and happy with the verdict both as a mother and a citizen and thank the almighty, court, citizens of the country and the media for the decision," she said.
Vikas, Vishal and Sukhdev Pehalwan are serving life term for abducting and killing Nitish Katara, a business executive and son of an IAS officer, on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002.
The court has heard five appeals filed by three convicts against their conviction and one each from the prosecution and Neelam Katara, seeking award of death penalty to the persons found guilty by the lower court.
However, the court had decided to segregate the appeals filed by the victim's mother and the prosecution from that of convicts.
The prosecution had alleged that the Yadavs allegedly killed the victim as they did not approve his alleged affair with their sister Bharti Yadav.
Vikas and Vishal were convicted by the trial court in 2008.
Their accomplice Pehlwan, who had absconded for some time but was arrested in 2005, was tried separately and sentenced to life term by the trial court.