The Supreme Court has instructed the Delhi government to make a decision within two weeks regarding the potential remission of Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehalwan, who is nearing the end of his 20-year sentence for his involvement in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. The bench, led by Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, emphasized the importance of addressing the liberty of the individual as Yadav’s term is set to conclude on March 10, 2025.
During the proceedings, Justice Oka criticized the delay in initiating the remission process, stating, “You should have started the process of granting the remission a long time back. How can he be kept in jail after the period of sentence is over?” This statement came after the Delhi government’s earlier assertion that it would not release Yadav even after he completed his mandated 20 years of imprisonment.
The court’s directive follows a review of its own judgment, which specified that Yadav’s sentence should consist of “Life imprisonment which shall be 20 years of actual imprisonment without consideration of remission, and a fine of Rs 10,000.” Despite this, the Delhi government had expressed intentions to keep Yadav incarcerated beyond this period.
The Supreme Court also ordered the Delhi government’s home department secretary to submit a sworn statement clarifying the government’s stance on whether Yadav should be released after completing his 20-year term. This inquiry highlights the court’s concern over the interpretation and application of its verdicts by the state.
Sukhdev Yadav’s request for remission came to the forefront following a November 2024 Delhi High Court decision that denied him a three-week furlough, further complicating his legal battles. Yadav was one of the co-convicts alongside Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, who were sentenced for the kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara due to objections over his relationship with Vikas’s sister, Bharti Yadav, stemming from caste differences.
