After SC dismisses curative petition, I hope Nirbhaya convicts are hanged on Feb 1: Asha Devi

The dismissal of the curative petition of Akshay Thakur by the Supreme Court has brought the convicts closer to their execution and now without any delay, they should be hanged on February 1, said Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi on Thursday.

"They have moved a step forward towards their execution. Now, nothing is left to provide them as they were given all the time. All that is left is to hang them. Now, they should be hanged without any delay," Devi told ANI. "It's not only me but everyone has understood that they are trying to delay the execution. They have made a mockery of the system. I still hope that they will be hanged on February 1 and will continue with the fight," she added.

Expressing happiness over the Supreme Court's decision, Nirbhaya's father Badrinath Singh said: "I welcome the decision of the top court. There is, of course, a delay in the process but we are not disappointed. We hope they will be hanged soon."

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court dismissed the curative petition of Akshay Thakur, who had sought the commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.

A five-judge bench of the apex court headed by Justice NV Ramana heard the matter.

The curative petition, which was filed by advocate AP Singh on behalf of Akshay, sought the commutation of the sentence of the petitioner "as it serves all the purposes that the death penalty claims to serve and protects society from the impending reality in the near-future in which torture and murder are equated with justice as a panacea for all social evils.