Nitish Katara, who was killed by the Yadav brothers in 2002.
Politician DP Yadav's son Vikas Yadav and nephew Vishal Yadav killed the young man who was dating their sister and will spend their life in prison, the Delhi High Court said today.
Today's judgement agrees with a trial court's verdict delivered in 2008, which had been challenged by the Yadavs.
"It was an honour killing," the court said.
Nitish Katara's mother, Neelam, has also filed an appeal against that verdict. She wants the death sentence for the Yadavs and a third convict who murdered her 25-year-old son. The court will take up the petition in a separate hearing.
"This is not just honour killing, but power killing," Mrs Katara told reporters today. "It was a very tough personal battle. Such was the fear psychosis, that nobody wanted to speak out."
DP Yadav has been a member of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and a parliamentarian twice. His son and nephew have been found guilty of killing Nitish because he was dating their sister Bharti. Nitish, a management graduate, was kidnapped from a farmhouse wedding near Delhi in February 2002, where he was last seen with Bharti. He was seen getting into an SUV with the Yadav brothers. His body was found three days later near a highway. Investigators said he was beaten, diesel was poured on him, and his body was set on fire.
It was charred so badly that DNA samples from his mother were used to confirm his identity.