Nirbhaya Case: Akshay Thakur Files Mercy Plea Again, Says Earlier Petition Lacked ‘Facts’

On February 5, President Ram Nath Kovind had turned down Thakur's mercy plea. He was third accused to file the appeal hours after the President had turned down clemency plea of fellow convict Vinay Sharma.

New Delhi: After already being rejected from the President once, Nirbhaya convict Akshay Thakur files another mercy petition claiming that his earlier petition did not have ‘all the facts’. Thakur is one of the four convicts facing the gallows in connection with the gruesome 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case.

A Delhi court asked Tihar jail authorities to file a report on an application moved by convict Akshay, seeking a stay on the execution of his death warrant. The four convicts are scheduled to be executed on March 3.

On February 5, President Ram Nath Kovind had turned down Thakur’s mercy plea. He was third accused to file the appeal hours after the President had turned down clemency plea of fellow convict Vinay Sharma.

Meanwhile, the fourth convict in the case, Pawan Kumar Gupta filed a curative plea before the Supreme Court yesterday. In his petition, Pawan Gupta sought commutation of his death penalty into a life imprisonment sentence. A five-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice N V Ramana, will hear the matter on Monday.

Delhi’s Patiala House Court had signed fresh death warrants for the four accused giving them for the third time this month. Delhi’s Patiala House Court had signed fresh death warrants for the four accused giving them for the third time this month.

Last week, convict Vinay Gupta had made yet another attempt to delay the hanging by trying to swallow staple pins inside his prison cell.  However, prison officials managed to stop him just in time. He was later treated at the prison hospital.