“I am happy that the Court has set a time limit for the process. The convicts have been delaying it, now it has to do within a week,” said Nirbhaya’s mother
New Delhi: In the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case the convicts will get one week to exercise all their legal remedies, after which the trial court will begin proceedings for their execution, the Delhi High Court said today, settling the Central government petition against the indefinite freeze on execution placed by the lower court. However, the judges refused to hang the convicts separately, which was also part of the Centre’s request.
“Delhi Prison Rules do not say that if mercy petition of one convict is pending, the execution of the other convicts can happen,” said Justice Suresh Kait, who was hearing the Nirbhaya case.
“Since up to the top court, their fate has been decided by a common judgment, I am of the view that death warrant of all convicts should be executed together and not separately,” the court added.
“I am happy that the Court has set a time limit for the process. The convicts have been delaying it, now it has to do within a week,” said Nirbhaya’s mother.
The four convicts Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh, and Akshay Singh – were involved in shocking gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student called as Nirbhaya by the media in Delhi in 2012 – were to be executed on February 1.
A few days back the trial court postponed the execution indefinitely after a second convict, Vinay Sharma, filed a mercy petition before the President of India Ram Nath Kovind. As his appeal was turned down, another convict, Akshay Singh, filed his mercy petition.
The Centre contended that the accused were working in a team, using every possible loophole to delay the execution.
“The rape accused are trying the patience of the entire nation. More delays will shake the belief of people in the administration of justice,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, questioning that the execution of the two convicts who exhausted all the legal options be carried out.
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