Nitish Katara murder case: Supreme Court extends interim bail of Vikas Yadav by one week

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) extended by a week the interim bail of Vikas Yadav, son of former Minister D.P. Yadav, who is serving a 25-year sentence without remission in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case.

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Yadav had moved the apex court against an August 22, 2025 order of the Delhi High Court declining to extend the interim bail granted to him on July 29, 2025, by the Supreme Court.

He had sought an extension to attend his wedding scheduled for September 5, 2025. However, the High Court had expressed reservations over whether it had the jurisdiction to extend an order passed by the Supreme Court and accordingly listed the matter for further hearing on September 2, 2025.

A Bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih prima facie agreed with the view taken by the High Court and said the matter should be heard by the Bench headed by Justice M.M. Sundresh, which had on July 29, 2025, extended Yadav’s interim bail until August 26, 2025, while directing him to approach the High Court for any further relief.

“The High Court prima facie seems to be justified in its opinion that once this court had affirmed the decision of the High Court that the petitioner would not be entitled to any remission, it lacked the jurisdiction to grant the petitioner’s prayer. If at all, it is this court which can consider and grant relief,” the Bench said.

Since Yadav’s interim bail was due to expire on August 26, 2025, the Bench recorded in its order, “We extend the interim bail by a week.”

Yadav had told the Delhi High Court that he required bail for his marriage and to arrange the fine of ₹54 lakh imposed on him at the time of sentencing. A Bench headed by Justice Ravinder Dudeja had issued notices to the Union government, the Delhi government, and Nitish Katara’s mother Nilam Katara, on his plea and listed the matter for further hearing on September 2, 2025.

Ms. Nilam Katara had opposed the request, contending that there is no statutory provision for granting interim bail to a convict, and that temporary release is permissible only through parole or furlough. 

Earlier, on July 29, 2025, the Supreme Court had ordered the release of Sukhdev Yadav, another convict in the case, after he completed his 20-year sentence without remission. Along with Vikas Yadav, the other convicts in the Nitish Katara murder case are his cousin Vishal Yadav and Sukhdev Yadav.