Updated: February 7, 2020 4:03 PM IST 
New Delhi: The execution of the four convicts of the 2012’s Nirbhaya gangrape case is getting tangled in legalities with new orders coming up every now and then. On Friday, the Tihar authorities moved Patiala High Court to hang the convicts on February 20. The plea go rejected as the convicts are yet to exhaust their pending legal options, the court said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of Centre’s plea for the separate hanging of the four convicts.
The four convicts — Mukesh, Vinay, Pawan and Akshay — were scheduled to be hanged on January 22. But it got delayed as one of the convict’s mercy plea was pending before the President. The same happened when the second date was fixed on February 1. While the Tihar authorities want to hang the convicts separately — as the convicts are using the legal avenues as a delaying tactic — Delhi High Court has recently ruled that the convicts have to be hanged together. The court also noticed that the convicts are buying time. So, it has asked the convicts to exhaust all options in a week. The Centre has moved the Supreme Court against the high court’s ruling.
When can the convicts be hanged?
Going by the Delhi High Court’s February 5 ruling, the convicts will have to opt for all legal options before February 12. If they do that. each plea will take its course of action. If they don’t file pleas, then the court may issue a new order regarding execution date.
What are the legal options?
| Legal Options | Mukesh Singh | Vinay Sharma | Akshay Thakur | Pawan Gupta |
| Review Plea | Dismissed | Dismissed | Dismissed | Dismissed |
| Curative Plea | Dismissed | Dismissed | Dismissed | Not filed |
| Mercy Plea | Dismissed | Dismissed | Dismissed | Not Filed |
| Challenge | Dismissed |
Review plea, curative plea, mercy plea and challenge are the legal options that the convicts can avail.
Review petition: A binding decision of the Supreme Court/High Court can be reviewed in review petitions
Curative plea: An aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final judgment of the Supreme Court after the dismissal of a review petition.
Mercy Plea: As per the Constitutional framework in India, mercy petition to the President is the last constitutional resort a convict can take when he is sentenced by the court of law. This can again be challenged again.
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