Nirbhaya case: First time four convicts will be hanged together

For the first time in the country, four men convicted in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case will be hanged together to death at Tihar Jail on Friday morning.

According to Tihar Jail officials, the hanging will be executed as per the directives prescribed under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018.

Since the death sentence was awarded to the convicts -- Pawan Gupta, Akshay Singh Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh -- years ago, the issuance of black warrant or death warrant by the court merely confirmed the date and time of their hanging.

A Delhi court directed that the execution should take place at 5:30 am.

The case pertains to the brutal gang-rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in the national capital.

The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.

"We had already inspected the gallows in December. The inspection was done by an executive engineer of PWD along with Tihar officials. It will be inspected again in the evening before the execution," an official told ANI.

He said that the ropes to be used for the execution were also tested during the inspection with a dummy sandbag weighing 1.5 times the weight of the convicts, adding that spare ropes will also be kept just in case of an unfortunate incident.

As per the procedure, the convicts will firstly be kept in isolation cells until the date of their execution. According to the manual, if desired by the prisoner, jail authorities have to inform their relatives and facilitate their last meeting.

The prison rules also categorically mention that the execution should take place early in the morning before it gets bright.

The prison rules state that Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, medical officer-in-charge and a resident medical officer should be present at all executions. If so desired by the person to be hanged, a priest of his faith is allowed to be present at the place of hanging.

No other person, especially relatives of the prisoner, should be allowed to witness the execution. The jail authorities may, however, permit social scientists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, etc. to conduct the research there.

On the morning of the execution, the Superintendent has to make sure if any communication is awaiting him regarding the execution. He should then visit the prisoner in his cell and get any document requiring his attestation, such as a will, signed by him.

Next, the hands of the prisoner are pinioned behind the backs after which he is escorted to the scaffold guarded by the head warder and six warders, two walking in front, two behind and two holding arms.

On arrival of the prisoner near the scaffold, the Superintendent confirms his identity to the Magistrate. He then reads the warrant to the prisoner in a language he understands.

A cotton cap, with a flap, is then put on the face just before he is taken to the gallows-enclosures.

The prisoner should not be allowed to see the gallows. According to the manual, after entering the gallows, "the prisoner shall mount the scaffold and be placed directly under the beam to which the rope is attached, the warder still holding him by the arms".

The executioner then straps the prisoner's legs tightly together and adjusts the noose around his neck. The hangman is paid by the Delhi government for the execution of each prisoner.

The person to execute the four convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case is being brought from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district.

Subsequently, the Superintendent should make sure that the rope around the neck of the prisoner is adjusted properly and the knot is placed in a proper position.

"The warders holding the prisoner's arms shall now withdraw and at a signal from the Superintendent, the executioner shall draw the bolt," the official said.

When the trap-door is opened, the prisoner falls through and dies. After the execution, the body remains suspended for half an hour before being taken down or until the Resident Medical Officer has certified that "the life is extinct".

According to the official, the body after the execution is disposed of as per the religion of the convict.