CJI Bobde recuses himself from hearing review plea of Nirbhaya death-row convict

Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde on Tuesday recused himself from hearing the review petition of one of the death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case, on personal grounds.

CJI Bobde said that another bench will be constituted for hearing at 10:30 am tomorrow.

Akshay Kumar Singh had moved the court seeking review of its 2017 verdict which had upheld the death penalty awarded to him and three others in the case. Singh has sought modification and leniency in the sentence.

In May 2017, Mukesh, Akshay, Pawan and Vinay had knocked the doors of the apex court against a Delhi High Court order which confirmed the capital punishment awarded to them by the trial court in September 2013. The top court also upheld their death penalty.

In a voluminous judgement, the bench of the top court had held the attitude of offenders as "bestial proclivity" and said, "It sounds like a story from a different world where humanity is treated with irreverence."

Subsequently, the three convicts besides Akshay sought review of the judgment but it was dismissed.

They are facing the gallows for rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012.

Besides four convicts, prime accused Ram Singh had committed suicide in the Tihar jail during the trial of the case. Another accused appeared was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court.