New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court has allowed Vikas Yadav, who is serving life imprisonment along with cousin Vishal for the murder of Nitish Katara, to attend his sister's wedding.
Vikas has been granted custodial parole for 12 hours to attend the wedding of his sister Bharati Yadav on November 1. And keeping a hawk's eye on him at the wedding will be an entire team of Delhi Police officials in plain clothes.
And wishing Bharti good luck was Nitish Katara's mother Neelam Katara.
"I hope she's getting married of her own free will. I wish her well. As a woman and a mother I feel every woman should get married of her free will," she said.
But at the same time, she is worried.
"The prosecution has expressed its concern that Vikas may try to escape from custody. The police may not be able to control the crowd at the wedding. I'm worried too, like in the Jigeesha case, where we saw the accused trying to escape," Neelam Katara said.
So is it finally a closure for Bharti Yadav whose lover was killed in cold blood by her own brother? Bharti is all set to begin a new life and will tie the knot with a Gurgaon-based businessman on November 1, seven years after Nitish Katara's gruesome murder.
In both her police statement and her emails in the days after Nitish Katara's death, Bharti Yadav clearly blamed her father D P Yadav and brother Vikas Yadav for kidnapping and killing Nitish.
Writing to Nitish's brother Bharti had said, "I am telling you these people are playing games and buying time. Don't give them time. My dad is only concerned about his elections and about saving his son and his political career. Did you notice he is trying to get bail from Allahabad? Don't let it happen because if Vikas gets bail, who knows for how long they can actually drag it. I beg you, don't give them time. My dad is making it a political issue and if he proves it's a political conspiracy, then everyone will be saved. Today Nitish has been missing for five days and there is still no news from him -- where is he, how is he. Find my dad wherever he is and talk to him, ask him to give back your brother. Pressure him, scare him but please bring back your brother."
But a few days later, Bharti spoke to NDTV saying "Nitish was just a friend" and denied that her brother knew Nitish. She also denied dating him.
But despite this retraction Bharti's testimony was crucial. She admitted in court that all the love letters and valentine cards produced by the prosecution were sent to Nitish by her.
Vikas Yadav was sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court in May 2008. And as Bharti embarks on a new journey questions remain about whether she will ever be able to put her traumatic past behind her -- one where her own brother was held guilty of murdering, in cold blood, the man she once loved.