Sukhdev Yadav alias Pahlavan (55), convicted in the Nitish Katara murder case and having served a 20-year prison sentence, died in a tragic accident. According to police reports, the accident occurred in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. He was recently released from prison.
The accident took place in the Turk Patti area, where the motorcycle Sukhdev was riding collided with an SUV. Accompanying him were two others - Vijay Gupta and Bhagwat Singh, who sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The car driver fled the scene post-accident, and Sukhdev's body has been taken by the police for a postmortem examination.
Source: aajtak
When Did the Nitish Katara Murder Happen?
In the early hours of February 17, 2002, Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal abducted 25-year-old Nitish Katara and brutally murdered him. Nitish, an MBA graduate, was the son of an IAS officer.
The motive for the murder was the close relationship between Nitish Katara and Vikas' sister, Bharti Yadav. It is believed that a contract killer, Sukhdev Pahlavan, was hired for the murder. On February 20, 2002, Nitish's charred and battered body was discovered near Hapur Crossing in a village in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. It was in such a state that identifying the body was almost impossible.
Bharti Yadav is the daughter of Uttar Pradesh leader DP Yadav. Her brother Vikas Yadav and cousin Vishal committed the murder due to the love affair. The Supreme Court deemed the case an 'honor killing' influenced by caste beliefs, leading to a 25-year sentence for the culprits alongside an additional sentence for evidence tampering by the Delhi High Court.
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Kidnapping from a Wedding Venue and the Murder
On the night of February 17, 2002, Vikas and Vishal Yadav kidnapped Nitish from a wedding ceremony in Ghaziabad. Friends expected Nitish to return soon, but he disappeared. By the morning of February 17, his severely burnt body was found about 80 kilometers from the wedding location. As soon as the police found his mutilated body, Nitish's mother, Neelam, filed a FIR. Vikas and Vishal were charged with murder, kidnapping for murder, and destruction of evidence.
On March 31, 2002, a four-page chargesheet on the murder case was issued. Following Neelam Katara's request, the Supreme Court transferred the case from the Ghaziabad session court to the Delhi High Court. Neelam sought a harsher punishment, seeking life imprisonment instead of the existing sentences.
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The Arrest of the Murderers and Court's Verdict
The contract killer Sukhdev Pahlavan was apprehended in 2005, with the court conducting a separate trial that resulted in life imprisonment. Between 2003 and 2006, Bharti Yadav repeatedly avoided court summons. In September 2004, the first non-bailable warrant was issued. Bharti claimed her absence was due to studying in London. In 2006, the prosecution sought to cancel her passport, granting her a two-month allowance to appear.
In 2008, the court found Vikas and Vishal guilty in the Nitish Katara murder case, sentencing them to life imprisonment. In April 2014, Delhi High Court upheld the 25-year sentence without reduction, alongside an additional five-year sentence for evidence destruction. Later, the Supreme Court sentenced Bharti's cousins, Vikas and Vishal Yadav, to 25 years, while Sukhdev Yadav alias Pahlavan received a 20-year sentence.
