The Delhi High Court has rejected the parole plea of Vikas Yadav, who is serving life term for killing business executive Nitish Katara in 2002, has to attend his ailing mother.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru remarked that Yadav’s mother is not immobile and there are sufficient number of relatives to look after her.
The HC also considered that Ajay Katara, a key prosecution witness, and Nilam Katara, mother of the victim, have serious objections to Yadav being released as they fear for their safety.
This court is not persuaded to accede to the prayers made in the present petition, the HC said, dismissing the plea. It also said the Delhi government’s June 26 order rejecting Yadav’s parole plea cannot be faulted with.
Yadav had sought parole on the ground that he has to take care of his mother, who was stated to be suffering from spinal medical condition along with thyroid and inner stress causing her depression.
Call detail records
He also claimed that he was suffering from mental trauma due to incarceration for more than 18 years and he requires parole to connect with his family members and maintain family and social ties.
The court noted that the call detail record indicates that his mother has been travelling extensively and there were a number of visits from Delhi to various parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Ghaziabad.
While the documents supplied by him indicated that his mother had visited Lok Nayak Hospital on three occasions in 2019, her call records indicated that she was not anywhere near the hospital on those dates, it said.
Considering the past conduct of Yadav, the HC said the apprehension of both the objectors — Ajay Katara and Nilam Katara — that he would misuse his liberty cannot be stated to be unfounded.
On October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court had awarded a 25-year jail term without any benefit of remission to Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal for their role in the sensational kidnapping and killing of Katara.