New Delhi [India], February 24 : The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Delhi government to clarify its stance on remitting the sentence of Sukhdev Pehelwan, a life convict in the Nitish Katara murder case.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Delhi government whether they would grant Pehelwan remission upon completing his 20-year life sentence.
The counsel representing the government submitted that Pehelwan was awarded 20 years of imprisonment without remission. Thus, it was stated that completing 20 years would not mean that the sentence would be remitted.
The court has asked the Delhi government's Home Secretary to file an affidavit on the matter, which will be heard next on March 3. This development comes after Pehelwan's sentence was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2015, and later by the Supreme Court in 2016.
The Court will hear the matter next on March 3.
Pehelwan was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment without remission, but the government's counsel argued that completing 20 years doesn't automatically mean his sentence will be remitted.
On May 30, 2008, a trial court found Vikas and his cousin Vishal guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Two months later, a third accused, Sukhdev Pehalwan, was also sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court.
In 2015, the Delhi High Court upheld the trial court's verdict of life terms for the Yadav brothers and Pehalwan and awarded the brothers a jail term of 25 years without remission and Pehalwan a jail term of 20 years without remission.
In 2016, the Supreme Court, too, agreed to the quantum of punishment awarded to the accused by the Delhi High Court.