Court adjourns hearing in Nirbhaya rape case till Dec 18

A Delhi court on Friday said that it will hear a petition filed by Nirbhaya's parents seeking immediate execution of the four death-row convicts only after the Supreme Court takes a call on the review petition filed by one of them.

Additional Session Judge Satish Kumar Arora adjourned the hearing on the petition seeking issuance of death warrant and execution till December 18.

The matter will be heard at 2 pm on Wednesday.

"My view is that we need to wait for the Supreme Court where the date is pending on December 17 where one review will be heard," the judge said.

During the course of proceedings today, Nirbhaya's parents alleged that the convicts are doing "delay tactics".

The Public Prosecutor and the counsel representing them sought for issuance of death warrant and cited supportive judgments regarding it.

Vrinda Grover, who is the amicus curiae in the matter, said that since the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, the court should wait.

The apex court is slated to hear the review petition of one of the convicts, Akshay Kumar Singh, in the rape-and-murder case on December 17.

On November 29, Judge Arora had issued a production warrant to the convicts and asked them to appear before the court today. They will appear through video conferencing at 12 noon.

The case pertains to gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student on December 16, 2012.

All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar jail. The rest of the convicts are facing the gallows.

The apex court had confirmed capital punishment for the four men in 2017. One of the convicts, Vinay, moved a mercy petition last month but has now sought to withdraw it.