Hanging Of Nirbhaya Convicts Will Not Happen On January 22

Days after the four convicts who were said to be hanged on January 22 in connection with the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case; the Delhi government today said that the convicts accused in the case will not be hanged on January 22 at 7:00 am as a mercy petition has been filed with the President.

As a mercy plea had been filed by one of them, the state government further asserted that, it is bound by prison rules to wait for convict’s mercy plea. Only after that it will be decided regarding the death warrant.

“On January 21, we will go to lower court for a fresh death warrant. As per law, after the mercy petition is dismissed, 14 days are given to the convicts,” the government said.

Meanwhile, the Home Department of the Delhi government also rejected the petition. The file will later be sent to the Home Ministry, who will decide and later forward it to the President.

“Mukesh's mercy petition is with us, today itself we will decide on it and send it to the Lieutenant Governor. But we will go only if all the mercy pleas of the convicts are dismissed by then,” the state government further added.  

The four convicts identified are; Vinay Sharma (26), Mukesh Kumar (32), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25).    

According to NDTV reports, Mukesh Singh, one of the convict had filed a mercy plea before President Ram Nath Kovind hours after the Supreme Court refused to stay his scheduled execution. 

The convict had also moved the Delhi High Court to set aside the death warrant issued by a trial court.

Pawan Jallad from Meerut, who was to carry out the hanging of the convicts, was expected to reach Tihar jail on January 20.