Nitish Katara murder: Supreme Court raps Delhi official for failure to decide on convict's remission

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a contempt of court notice to the Principal Secretary of Delhi's Home Department for failing to decide on the remission request by Sukhdev Pehalwan, a convict in the Nitish Katara murder case [Sukhdev Yadav @ Pehalwan v. State of NCT of Delhi]..A Bench comprising Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed strong disapproval over the Delhi government's failure to decide on the remission plea, observing,"We believe that unless a contempt notice is issued, our orders are not complied with."It has directed the concerned Delhi government official to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him. The Court also ordered him to appear before it through videoconferencing when the matter is heard next. "Issue notice to the Principal Secretary of the Home Department of Delhi government calling upon him to show cause why action under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 should not be initiated against him. Notice of contempt is made returnable on the 28th of March. We direct the Secretary to remain present through VC," the Court said. .Nitish Katara, a business executive, was kidnapped and murdered in 2002, in what the trial court described as a case of “honour killing”. Vikas Yadav, the son of a former Member of Parliament, had opposed his sister’s alleged relationship with Katara.Vikas Yadav and two other co-accused, Vishal Yadav and Sukhdev Pehelwan were convicted for the crime and awarded life imprisonment by the trial court in 2008. After this jail term was upheld by the Delhi High Court, the matter reached the Supreme Court as well. In October 2016, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence, adding that Vikas and Vishal Yadav would serve 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and Sukhdev Pehelwan would serve 20 years in prison, without remission..Last December, Pehelwan filed a plea before the Supreme Court seeking a remission of his sentence. The Court issued notice in the matter in January this year. On March 3, 2025, the Additional Solicitor General representing the Delhi government assured the Supreme Court that Pehelwan's remission request would be reviewed and decided within two weeks. Accordingly, the Court had directed that a decision be made within this timeframe. However, the order was not complied with.On Monday, the Court strongly criticized the Delhi government for this lapse, asking whether it had an unwritten rule to ignore Supreme Court directives. "Is there a rule with the Delhi government that whenever the Supreme Court passes an order to decide a case, it will not be decided within the time?" the Court asked.The matter is listed next on March 28, 2025..[Read Live Coverage]