New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted a temporary release to Vikas Yadav, who is serving a 25-year sentence without remission for the 2002 "honour killing" of business executive Nitish Katara, so he may spend the Holi festival with his family.

A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Vipul M Pancholi authorised Yadav’s furlough through March 7, noting that the convict has already completed 23 years of his prison term.

"Furlough is now sought on the ground that he wishes to spend time during Holi. Without going into the merits, we permit the petitioner to be released on furlough till March 7," the bench stated.

Judicial Discretion and Reformation

The court's decision came despite a sharp challenge from the counsel representing Katara’s family. During the hearing, the justices expressed frustration with the continued opposition to Yadav's temporary release after more than two decades of incarceration.

"You want to hang him? Is it? What is the point of hearing you in this matter? After 23 years, you don't want to let things go. We need to let things go," the bench remarked. Justice Sundresh added that such periodic releases can serve as a catalyst for the "reformation of the convict."

High Court Reversal

The Supreme Court order overrides a Feb. 11 decision by the Delhi High Court, which had denied Yadav’s request for a 21-day release. The High Court had previously ruled that Yadav was "statutorily ineligible" for such relief under the Delhi Prison Rules (DPR), 2018, due to the "grave offences" for which he was convicted.

Yadav had approached the apex court to contest a local jail authority's Oct. 29, 2025, decision that also blocked his application.

Background of the 2002 Case

Vikas Yadav, the son of influential Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav, was convicted alongside his cousin Vishal Yadav for the abduction and murder of Nitish Katara.

The 25-year-old executive was taken from a wedding party on the night of Feb. 16, 2002, and killed because the Yadav family disapproved of his relationship with Vikas’s sister, Bharti Yadav. In 2016, the Supreme Court finalised a 25-year sentence for the cousins, specifically stripping them of the benefit of remission. A third accomplice, Sukhdev Yadav, received a 20-year sentence.

Furlough, distinct from parole, is a routine temporary release intended to help long-term inmates maintain family ties and social integration after serving a substantial portion of their term.

With inputs from PTI