The Delhi High Court granted interim bail to Vishal Yadav serving life imprisonment in Nitish Katara murder case today to attend his sister’s marriage, scheduled on January 25.

In the bail plea he said his father was no more and being the eldest son in the family, he has to perform the rituals of his younger sister’s marriage and also to handle the financial aspect.” Hearing the arguments, a division bench comprising Justices Anil Kumar and Mool Chand Garg, however, directed Vishal to remain within the NCR and restrained him from meeting any witnesses in the Katara murder case.

The petitioner was asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount. The Bench had on January 12 reserved the order after hearing arguments of the counsel for Vishal as well as of the Delhi and UP police. The Delhi police opposed the bail plea. However, the UP police did not oppose it provided the accused attended the ceremony in the presence of police. Earlier, Vishal was granted five-hour parole (1700 hrs to 2200 hrs) to attend his sister’s engagement function held on January 3 in the presence of UP and Delhi policemen wearing a civil dress.

Vishal and Vikas Yadav, nephew and son of controversial Uttar Pradesh Politician D P Yadav, respectively, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in May last year for killing Katara, son of a former IAS officer, in February 2002 as they were against his closeness with Vikas’s sister Bharati Yadav.