In a significant ruling concerning prisoners who have completed their fixed-term sentences, the Supreme Court of India has ordered the release of Sukhdev Yadav, also known as Sukhdev Pehalwan, who was convicted in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. The order, delivered on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, stipulates that Pehalwan must be freed from jail as he has served his 20-year prison sentence.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice K.V. Viswanathan, expressed concern over the continued incarceration of prisoners even after they have completed their stipulated sentences. The court emphasized that convicts sentenced to a fixed term, like Pehalwan, are entitled to release upon completion of that term. The court also noted that Yadav had completed his sentence in March of 2025.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court directed all states and Union Territories to identify and immediately release any convicts who remain imprisoned despite having served their full sentence, provided they are not wanted in connection with any other case. The court mandated that a copy of the order be circulated to the Home Secretaries of all states and Union Territories, instructing them to ascertain whether any accused or convict has remained in jail beyond their sentence period. They are to issue release directions for such convicts if they are not required in any other cases. A similar copy is to be sent to the National Legal Service Authorities for transmission to state and Union Territories Legal Service Authorities, ensuring communication to District Legal Service Authorities for the judgement's implementation.
The case background reveals that Sukhdev Yadav's plea challenged a November 2024 order from the Delhi High Court, which had dismissed his request for a three-week furlough. Earlier, on October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court had awarded a 25-year jail term, without the possibility of remission, to Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav for their involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Nitish Katara. Sukhdev Yadav, as a co-convict, received a 20-year jail term. The conviction stemmed from the kidnapping and killing of Katara on the night of February 16-17, 2002, due to his alleged relationship with Bharti Yadav, Vikas's sister.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Mridul, representing Yadav, argued that his client had completed his sentence on March 9, 2025, and that there was no legal basis for his continued detention. The Supreme Court had previously granted Yadav three months' furlough, acknowledging his 20 years of uninterrupted imprisonment without remission. Furlough, the court clarified, is a temporary release from prison and not a suspension or remission of the entire sentence, typically granted to long-term inmates who have served a significant portion of their sentence.
Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave, representing the Delhi government, contended that an automatic release after 20 years was not permissible, arguing that life imprisonment implies imprisonment for the remainder of one's natural life. However, the bench expressed its disagreement, asserting that Yadav should have been released upon completing his 20-year sentence. The Supreme Court stated there couldn't be any further incarceration of the appellant from March 9, 2025, onwards and that he ought to have been released on March 10, 2025, as he completed his sentence.
