Third accused in Nitish Katara case awarded life term

New Delhi:  Gangster Sukhdev Pehalwan, the third accused in the Nitish Katara kidnapping-cum-murder case, was today sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi Court. The punishment was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge J R Aryan who on 6 July had held him guilty for helping former Rajya Sabha member DP Yadav’s son Vikas Yadav and nephew Vishal Yadav in abducting and killing Katara in 2002 for being friendly to their sister Bharti Yadav. [caption id=“attachment_40238” align=“alignright” width=“415” caption=“The court had said that Pehalwan was with Vikas and Vishal Yadav during the murder. Screengrab/ibnlive.com”]  [/caption] Vikas and Vishal were earlier awarded rigorous life imprisonment for their role in the murder of Nitish, a business executive and son of an IAS officer. Pehalwan has also been fined Rs 20,000. His trial was separated from that of Vikas and Vishal as he had jumped bail and was declared an absconder. His trial started only after his arrest in 2005. The court had said that Pehalwan was with Vikas and Vishal Yadav during the murder. According to the prosecution, Pehalwan was present with the Yadavs in their car after they had abducted Nitish from a marriage function at Ghaziabad and killed him on the night of 16 February, 2002. He was chargesheeted in April 2006 for murder, abduction and destruction of evidence. The Yadavs did not approve of the affair of their sister Bharti Yadav with Nitish. PTI