Delhi court allows Nirbhaya convicts' lawyer to take copy of convict's notebook

A Delhi court on Saturday allowed the lawyer of the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts to take a photocopy of painting and notebook titled 'Darinda' written by convict Vinay in prison.

Session Judge Ajay Kumar Jain, who was hearing an application seeking directions to Tihar Jail authorities to provide documents needed to file curative and mercy petitions for three of the convicts, disposed of the application observing that no further direction is required in the matter.

"The jail authorities have already complied with the request made by convicts by supplying the documents, whatever lying with them and today also brought, paintings, diary (Darinda) for supply. In view thereof, no further directions for the supply of any documents required," the court observed.

The court directed the authorities to hand over a copy of the paintings and the notebook to the counsel for convicts in the court today itself.

Advocate AP Singh, appearing on behalf of the convicts, told the court that while he had received some documents late on Friday, the 160-page personal diary of convict Vinay and some medical documents have still not been forwarded.

Singh said that he needs the documents to file a mercy petition on the convict's behalf.

On the other hand, public prosecutor Irfan Ahmad accused Singh of using "delaying tactics" and said that all the relevant documents have been sent to the lawyer of the convict.

"We just have one painting and one dairy written by Vinay. The title of that dairy is Darinda. We are ready to supply these documents right now," Ahmad told the court.

Singh further claimed that convict Vinay is not well and needs medical treatment.

"Jail authorities are going to hang four men and that is going to be history. I plead for better treatment. Earlier Pawan (another convict in the case) was brutality beaten in Mandoli jail," he told the court.

Singh had, on Friday, filed an application before the court seeking "urgent directions" to Tihar Jail authorities to provide documents needed to file curative and mercy petitions for three of the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Pawan Kumar Gupta, and Akshay Kumar Singh.

All four convicts in the matter are scheduled to be executed at 6 am on February 1.