New Delhi, Feb 11 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a request made by Vikas Yadav, a convict in the Nitish Katara murder case, for a 21-day furlough aimed at fostering social connections and spending time with his wife after their recent marriage.

A single-judge bench led by Justice Ravinder Dudeja ruled that there was no evidence of arbitrariness, illegality, or infringement of constitutional rights in the decision issued by the Director General (DG) of Prisons that denied Yadav's request.

"This Court finds no arbitrariness, illegality, or violation of constitutional rights in the order dated October 29 or the corrigendum dated December 1, 2025. The petition is accordingly dismissed," stated Justice Dudeja while delivering the judgment.

Yadav, who was sentenced in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case, is currently serving a fixed term of 25 years and has spent more than 23 years in prison.

In his application, Yadav contested the October 29, 2025, decision of the jail authorities that denied his furlough. He argued that the denial was arbitrary and overlooked his previous interim bail granted by the Supreme Court for over four and a half months due to his mother's medical needs, which was subsequently extended for his marriage.

The application emphasized that Yadav has been in continuous custody for 23 years without furlough and is seeking temporary release to strengthen his social ties, particularly with his wife.

However, prison authorities opposed the application, citing the serious nature of the crime, the severity of the imposed sentence, and the lack of required annual conduct reports.

They expressed concerns that Yadav might attempt to flee the country, disrupt public order, or endanger the victim's family.

The family of the victim also voiced concerns about their safety should Yadav be released. The Delhi High Court ultimately rejected the plea, upholding the prison authorities' decision, indicating that no valid grounds were presented to challenge the contested orders.

Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav, among others, were convicted and sentenced to 25 years of actual imprisonment without the possibility of remission for the kidnapping of Katara from a marriage event in February 2002 and subsequently murdering him due to his alleged relationship with their sister, Bharti Yadav.

The court had noted that Katara was killed because the Yadavs disapproved of his alleged relationship with Bharti, as they belonged to different castes.