New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday granted five-hour custodial parole to Vishal Yadav, who is serving a life sentence for killing Nitish Katara, to attend his sister’s engagement Dec 26.
A division bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Anil Kumar, after considering Yadav’s plea, directed Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police to escort him from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on that day to Ghaziabad to attend the ceremony in plain clothes.

Vishal Yadav, who is serving a life sentence for killing Nitish Katara in 2002, had last week moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail to attend the marriage.

However, the court declined to pass any order on the interim bail plea of Vishal as the report from the Uttar Pradesh government is awaited and posted the case for Jan 7 next year.

Vishal in his plea demanded that he may be granted interim bail for two months to attend his sister’s marriage for which the ceremonies begin Dec 26 and will continue till Jan 21.

“I am the eldest son in the family and own full responsibility of my sister as my father is no more and grandfather is paralysed so I need to look at all arrangements for Sarika’s (sister) marriage,” Vishal stated in his petition.

Vishal also stated that he had been on bail earlier too and his conduct was good at that time.

The duo had kidnapped and killed Katara, son of an IAS officer, on the night of Feb 17, 2002 after abducting him from a marriage party in Ghaziabad as they were against the relationship between him and Bharti, Vikas’s sister.

In June last year, Vikas and Vishal Yadav were sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Nitish Katara. Earlier this year, Vikas was granted 24-hour custody parole to attend his sister Bharti’s marriage.