The Delhi High Court Tuesday issued notice to the city government and Delhi Police on a bail plea of Vishal Yadav, who is serving life imprisonment for abducting and killing Nitish Katara in 2002.

Vishal Yadav moved the court seeking two weeks’ bail to attend the engagement and wedding of his younger brother. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2008 along with his cousin Vikas Yadav and contract killer Sukhdev Pehalwan.

Justice Geetal Mittal and Justice J.R. Midha asked Delhi Police to verify the issue and file a status report by Feb 7.

“Issue notice to Delhi government… they will verify the issue and file status report,” the bench said.

Vishal Yadav said in his plea that his brother was getting engaged Feb 9 and will get married soon thereafter. His presence with the family on the occasion was necessary as there was no other male member in the family to look after the arrangements.

Appearing for Delhi Police, advocate Dayan Krishnan, however, told the court that Yadav had earlier misused bail granted to him.

Filing the plea, Vishal Yadav said he has already undergone a sentence of nine and half years without any remission. He said he never misused bail granted to him.

Vikas and Vishal killed Katara on the night of Feb 17, 2002 after abducting him from a marriage party in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad.

The prosecution sought death penalty for the convicts, saying Katara and Bharti Yadav – sister of Vikas Yadav and cousin of Vishal Yadav – were in an “intense relationship” and her family’s opposition to their friendship led to the killing of Katara, son of an Indian Administrative Service officer.

Vikas and Bharti are children of former parliamentarian D.P. Yadav.

However, the Yadavs have sought re-trial saying the trial was not conducted in accordance with law.

  Government, HC notice, police on Katara killer’s bail plea