COVID-19: No parole to convict Vishal Yadav in Nitish Katara murder case

While disposing off the parole plea of Vishal Yadav, serving life term for the murder of Nitish Katara, Delhi High Court on Friday issued direction to the competent authority to treat the instant writ petition as a representation of the petitioner and decide it within 15 days.

The petitioner Vishal Yadav had sought parole, for eight weeks, in view of COVID-19 pandemic on the ground that he could get infected by coronavirus or tuberculosis as he had earlier suffered from TB in view of overcrowding and poor station facilities in the prison.

In its status report and reply copy, Delhi Police opposed his application and stated that the prison records indicate the convict's medical condition to be stable and he is not suffering from TB currently and there is no risk of COVID-19 infection to him in jail.

After the conclusion of the arguments held via video conferencing, a Bench of Justice AK Chawla observed, "Taking into account the totality of facts and circumstances and the statements that have come to be made by the counsel for the parties, the instant petition is disposed of with a direction to the Competent Authority to treat the instant writ petition as an application/representation of the petitioner and dispose it off within 15 days".

In 2016, the Supreme Court had awarded 25-year jail term to Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal for their role in the kidnapping and killing of Katara. Another convict Sukhdev Pehalwan was also sentenced 20-year jail term in the case.

( With inputs from ANI )