2012 Nirbhaya Case: Court Defers Execution of Four Convicts till ‘Further Orders’, No Hanging Tomorrow

Correspondent 

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday stayed the execution of the four convicts and deferred the matter for further orders in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. The convicts were scheduled to be hanged at 6 am on Tuesday. The court deferred the matter as the mercy petition of one of the convicts, Pawan Kumar Gupta, is pending before President Ram Nath Kovind.

Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana, while reserving judgment on Pawan’s fresh plea to stay the death warrant for Tuesday morning, earlier rapped the convict’s lawyer for acting so late in filing the curative and mercy pleas. Pawan’s curative plea was rejected by the Supreme Court earlier in the day.

The trial court had earlier in the day dismissed Pawan’s and Akshay Kumar Singh’s applications for staying their death warrants. However, Pawan’s lawyer, AP Singh, said he has filed a mercy plea and the execution ought to be stayed. The court, thereafter, asked him to come after lunch to argue his case.

In the post-lunch hearing, the court pulled up Singh saying, “You are playing with fire, you should be cautious”, adding, “One wrong move by anybody, and you know the consequences.” Tihar authorities, during the hearing, said the ball is in the government’s court after filing of the mercy petition and the judge has no role for now. They said the President will seek a status report from the jail on Pawan’s mercy plea and when that happens, it will suo motu stay the execution.