NE LEGAL BUREAU
NEW DELHI, JAN 31
A Delhi court on Friday (January 31) postponed the execution of death warrants of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case till further orders.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana passed the order on plea by the convicts seeking a stay on their execution on February 1.
During the hearing, Tihar Jail authorities challenged the application to stay the hanging of three convicts — Pawan Kumar Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar, saying that only one convict’s plea is pending and the others can be hanged.
Advocate A.P. Singh, representing the convicts, argued that rules dictate that when one convict’s plea is pending the others cannot be hanged.
The fourth person sentenced to death in the case is Mukesh Kumar, whose mercy plea was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 17. The Supreme Court had on Wednesday dismissed Mukesh’s plea against the President’s decision.
The court had on January 20 issued death warrants for February 1 against the four convicts — Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31), Mukesh Kumar Singh (32) and Pawan (26) — in the case. The order now stands stayed till further orders.
Will fight till convicts are hanged, Nirbhaya’s mother
Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi told reporters that she will continue her fight till the convicts in the 2012 gang rape and murder case are hanged, shortly after a Delhi court postponed the execution of death warrants till further order.
