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- Nitish Katara was a 23-year-old Indian business executive in Delhi who was murdered in the early hours of 17 February 2002 by Vikas Yadav. Yadav was the son of influential politician D. P. Yadav. Katara had recently graduated from the Institute of Management Technology in Ghaziabad where he had fallen in love with his classmate Bharti Yadav, sister of Vikas Yadav.The trial court held that Katara's murder was an honour killing because the family did not approve of their relationship. Vikas and Vishal Yadav were later found guilty by the trial Court and both were given life sentences on 30 May 2008. On 2 April 2014 the Delhi High Court upheld the trial court verdict of life imprisonment for the accused. On 6 February 2015, Delhi High Court on re-appeal on death sentence, extended sentence as 25 years' rigorous life imprisonment without remittance. On 9 September 2015, The Supreme Court of India rejected a plea by Neelam Katara seeking enhancement of sentence to death for Vishal and Vikas Yadav. On 3 October 2016, the Supreme Court sentenced Vikas and Vishal Yadav, as well as Sukhdev Pehelwan, the third accused, to 25 years' imprisonment without remission. The Yadav family never approved of the relationship between the two, and Katara received threats several times. However, he was an idealist, and believed in "standing up to injustice". On the night of 16 February 2002, the couple attended a common friend's wedding, where Yadav's brother, Vikas, and a cousin were present as well. From there, Katara was taken for a drive by Yadav's brother Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav, and never returned. Three days later, Katara's body was found beside the highway; he had been battered to death with a hammer, diesel poured on him, and set aflame. Dr T D Dogra collected the blood samples of parents for DNA profiling to establish the identity of deceased Nitish Katara at AIIMS New Delhi. (en)
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