A Delhi court on January 31 postponed the execution of death warrants of the four convicts in the December 16, 2012 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.
'Hopes dashed but will fight till convicts are hanged'
Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi on Friday said she would continue her fight till the convicts in the 2012 gangrape and murder case were hanged. She said this shortly after a Delhi court postponed the execution of death warrants till further order.
“These convicts have no right to live. We keep getting disappointed by the system. I will continue my fight till the convicts are hanged,” she said.
Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana passed the order on a plea by the convicts seeking a stay on their execution on Saturday, February 1.
Ms. Devi said because of the loopholes in law, the “criminals’ lawyers had the audacity to challenge me in court that they will not be hanged.”
The black warrants for execution of the death sentence against Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma, Akshay Kumar and Mukesh Kumar Singh were issued on January 17.
(with inputs from PTI)
