Nirbhaya convict challenges rejection of mercy petition in SC, seeks commutation of death sentence

One of the death row convicts in the brutal December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case -- Mukesh Kumar Singh -- on Saturday approached the Supreme Court challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by President of India, according to advocate Vrinda Grover, lawyer of the convict.

"Yes, I have filed a petition before the apex court. I am challenging the rejection of mercy petition by the President, before the apex court. I have moved the apex court for judicial review against the order of rejection of mercy petition by the President," advocate Grover told ANI.

Grover is seeking the commutation of Mukesh's death sentence to life imprisonment from the apex court, as the President of India has rejected his mercy petition.

The Supreme Court's five-judge bench, headed by Justice NV Ramana, had on January 15, dismissed the curative petitions of Mukesh and another death row convict, Vinay Kumar Sharma.

After the dismissal of the curative petition by the top court, Mukesh had filed a mercy petition before the President of India, who also had rejected his mercy.

President Kovind had on January 17 rejected the mercy petition, which is the last constitutional recourse that a death row convict can exhaust.

A Delhi court has issued a fresh death warrant against the four death-row convicts in the December 2012 gang-rape and murder case, for their execution at 6 am on February 1.

A 23-year-old paramedical student was brutally gang-raped by six men (including a juvenile) in a moving bus in the national capital on a chilly night on December 16, 2012.

One of the accused, out of five adults, Ram Singh, had committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case.

The other three death row convicts, against whom the death warrants have already been issued are Pawan Kumar Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma, and Akshay Kumar Singh for their involvement in the December 16, 2012 case.