New Delhi, Feb. 28 -- The Supreme Court on Friday granted temporary furlough to Vikas Yadav, convicted in the 2002 murder of Nitish Katara, allowing him to be released until March 7 to celebrate Holi with his family. The court directed Yadav to surrender by 5pm on March 7 and permitted complainant Nilam Katara, the victim's mother, to seek additional security from the authorities if required. Yadav, son of former parliamentarian DP Yadav, is serving a 25-year sentence without remission and has completed 23 years in prison. He moved the apex court after the Delhi High Court on February 11 declined his plea for three weeks' furlough. Opposing the relief, Nilam Katara's counsel Vrinda Bhandari argued that the court must first examine Yadav's eligibility for furlough. She submitted that the high court had rejected his plea only on February 11 and that he approached the Supreme Court at the last moment. She also pointed to past instances where Yadav sought interim bail on medical grounds relating to his mother and allegedly sought extensions until directed to surrender. In another proceeding before the high court, she said, Yadav had sought furlough for his marriage despite evidence that he was already married. A bench of justices MM Sundresh and Vipul M Pancholi questioned the continued opposition to any relief after more than two decades of incarceration. "It is very unfortunate that even after 23 years, you are not permitting him any relief. Don't get unnecessarily agitated," the bench observed.htc...