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Supreme Court Orders Release of Sukhdev Yadav in Katara Murder Case, Demands Freeing of Overheld Prisoners

It held that a convict’s term ends on the date fixed by the court, with any continued detention breaching Article 21.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by convict Sukhdev Yadav alias Pehalwan in Nitish Katara murder case,
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Supreme Court of India.

Overview

  • A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and K.V. Viswanathan ruled that fixed-term life sentences expire automatically once the judicially specified period ends, eliminating the need for remission orders.
  • The court ordered the immediate release of co-convict Sukhdev Yadav, whose 20-year sentence concluded on March 9, 2025, and directed authorities to act without delay.
  • Its nationwide directive instructs Home Secretaries, the National Legal Services Authority and district legal authorities to identify and free any prisoners detained beyond fixed terms unless they face other pending cases.
  • The judgment censured the Sentence Review Board and the Delhi government for unlawfully blocking Yadav’s release and declared such interference illegal.
  • Nitish Katara’s mother, Neelam Katara, denounced the order as a “miscarriage of justice,” signaling likely legal and political challenges to its implementation.