Supreme Court Reprimands Delhi Government Over Delay In Sukhdev Pehalwan’s Release

The Supreme Court has reprimanded the Delhi government for its failure to take timely action regarding the release of Sukhdev Pehalwan, who was convicted in the Nitish Katara murder case.

The court has also refused to grant him furlough at this time and expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated delays in such cases.

Court To Hear Case Again On April 22

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjwal Bhuiyan will hear the case again on April 22.

During the last hearing, the court issued a contempt notice to the Principal Secretary of the Home Department of Delhi for not adhering to the court’s earlier orders.

The court had specifically criticized the Delhi government for routinely delaying such cases.

Court Expresses Displeasure Over Delhi Government’s Delayed Action

The Supreme Court pointed out that the Delhi government had itself promised to make a decision within two weeks but had failed to do so.

The bench emphasized that the issue at hand concerns the individual’s freedom, further underlining the urgency of addressing the matter.

The court’s frustration was evident when it stated that if the issue remained unresolved, it would escalate the matter to the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Governor.

Delhi Government Seeks Postponement

The lawyer representing the Delhi government requested to postpone the hearing, citing that the government had scheduled a meeting on the matter for the same day.

However, the court had previously ordered the Delhi government to make a decision within two weeks and had questioned how Sukhdev Pehalwan, whose 20-year sentence ended on March 10, could remain in jail without further action.

The court sentenced Sukhdev Pehalwan to 20 years in prison for his role in the murder of Nitish Katara.

On October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court reduced the sentences of Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav (also convicted in the same case) to 24 years, while reducing Sukhdev Pehalwan’s sentence to 20 years.

The Delhi High Court had originally sentenced Vikas Yadav to 25 years and Vishal Yadav to 5 years, totaling 30 years of imprisonment, while it had sentenced Sukhdev Pehalwan to 20 years and 5 years, totaling 25 years.

Nitish Katara’s Murder And Court’s Stand On Death Penalty

Nitish Katara was murdered on February 17, 2002, by Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, who were driven by personal vendettas.

The Supreme Court, in its earlier judgment, had refused to grant the death penalty to Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, calling the murder a non-heinous crime.

The Court had also stated that a life sentence was not applicable in this case.

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