New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, while hearing a plea by convict Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehalwan in the Nitish Katara murder case, directed all states and Union territories to identify and immediately release any convicts who remain imprisoned despite having completed their sentences.
The court ordered that if such convicts are still in custody and are not wanted in any other cases, they must be freed without delay, Hindustan Times reported.
The directive, issued to the home secretaries of all states and UTs, requires the immediate release of these persons. A bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan passed the order while granting the release of Sukhdev Pehalwan, who has served his full term without remission. Additionally, the Supreme Court instructed that the order be forwarded to the Member Secretary of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to ensure it is communicated to District Legal Services Authorities nationwide.
Earlier, in June, the court had granted a three-month furlough to Sukhdev Pehalwan, noting his 20 years of uninterrupted incarceration without remission. Pehalwan’s plea challenged a November 2024 Delhi High Court order that rejected his furlough request.
The case relates to the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara. On October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav to 25 years in prison without remission, while co-accused Sukhdev Yadav received a 20-year term. They were convicted for abducting Katara from a wedding party and killing him over an alleged affair with Vikas Yadav’s sister, Bharti Yadav.
