Nirbhaya Case Convicts to Be Hanged Tomorrow as Delhi Court Dismisses Plea Seeking Stay on Execution

New Delhi: The Patiala House Court on Thursday dismissed the plea of 2012 Delhi gangrape convicts seeking a stay on their execution scheduled for March 20.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana dismissed the plea of Akshay Kumar, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma seeking a stay on the death penalty, saying the second mercy plea of one of them was still pending.

The court was informed by the public prosecutor that second mercy pleas of Akshay and Pawan were rejected on the ground that the first such plea was entertained and considered on merit. He told the court that advocate AP Singh, counsel for the convicts, was giving false information stating second mercy plea of Pawan was pending and said that all the convicts have exhausted their legal remedies.

Singh said that convict Akshay's wife has filed for a divorce in a city court in Bihar which was pending, to which the special public prosecutor said any other petition does not fall under the purview of legal remedy in the present case.

On March 5, the trial court had issued fresh warrants for hanging on March 20 at 5.30 am of all convicts in the case -- Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Singh (31).