Nirbhaya Case: Execution of Four Convicts Delayed Till Further Orders, Says Delhi Court

The Delhi court deferred the matter till further orders as the mercy petition of Pawan Gupta is still pending before President Ram Nath Kovind.

New Delhi: In a significant development, Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Monday stayed the execution of four convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. The court deferred the matter till further orders as the mercy petition of one of the convicts, Pawan Gupta, is still pending before the President of India.

Earlier in the day, while hearing the matter, the court rejected Pawan Gupta’s curative petition. The court also reserved its order on a petition filed by Pawan Gupta, seeking a stay on the execution as his mercy petition is pending before the President.

In the court, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana reserved the order after hearing arguments from all the sides in the matter.

The four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case — Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh – were supposed to be hanged at 6 AM on March 3.

Representing Pawan Gupta, advocate AP Singh said that he filed the mercy petition before the President of India on behalf of his client. The move was taken as soon as Singh received the information that his client’s curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

Advocate AP Singh said that the former Justice (Markandey) Katju has emailed him and stated that he will meet the President of India regarding the mercy petition.

On the other hand, Public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, opposed the application and stated that this plea is not maintainable.

While hearing the matter, Judge Dharmendra Rana asked Singh how he could afford to ignore the order of the Delhi High Court, which granted a week’s time to the convicts to avail all legal remedied available to them.

“How can this Court ignore it? Once, Delhi High Court had given you seven days’ time, it is binding upon me. How do we ignore those instructions?” Judge Rana said expressing displeasure with advocate AP Singh.

As per updates, President Ram Nath Kovind had on February 5 rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Thakur. The President so far has rejected the mercy petition of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh.

A 23-year-old paramedical student was brutally raped in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.