Convicted of murdering business executive Nitish Katara in 2002, Uttar Pradesh politician DP Yadav’s son Vikas Yadav can play Holi with his family as the Supreme Court on Friday granted him furlough till March 7 during the festive season.
Granting such relief can sometimes help to reform the convict, a Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Vipul M Pancholi noted.
“Furlough is now sought on the ground that 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 Bench said.
Furlough is a temporary release from prison, not a suspension or remission of the entire sentence. It’s granted to a long-term inmate who has served a portion of his sentence.
The Bench took note of the fact that convict Vikas Yadav – who was awarded 25-year jail term without remission—had already spent 23 years in jail.
“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. Our biggest problem in life is, we don’t let things go. What he has done, has been done,” the Bench said after the complainant’s counsel raised objections against the grant of furlough to the convict.
On February 11, the Delhi High Court had rejected Yadav’s plea for a 21-day furlough, saying he was convicted of committing “grave offences” and was “statutorily ineligible” for the relief of furlough under the Delhi Prison Rules (DPR), 2018.
Yadav had moved the high court against the jail authorities’ October 29, 2025 order rejecting his furlough application.
However, the high court had said there was no arbitrariness, illegality or violation of constitutional rights in the jail authorities’ decision.
Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav were convicted of kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara. They kidnapped Katara from a marriage party in Ghaziabad on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002 and then killed him for his alleged affair with Vikas’ sister Bharti Yadav as he belonged to another caste.
On October 3, 2016, the top court awarded a 25-year jail term without remission to Vikas and Vishal for their role in the kidnapping and killing of Katara. Co-convict Sukhdev Yadav was given a 20-year jail term. On July 29, 2025, the top court ordered Sukhdev’s release after he completed his 20-year sentence in March that year.
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