Nirbhaya convicts execution not possible as robbery case is pending against them: Advocate

The four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case cannot be executed until their appeal in a robbery case pending before the Delhi High Court is disposed of, advocate A P Singh, who is representing the rapists, said on Friday.

"The Tihar Jail authorities have concealed the fact that appeals of the convicts in a robbery case are still pending in the Delhi High Court. Their execution is not possible until the robbery case is disposed of,' Singh told ANI.

In August 2015, a Delhi court had held the four death row convicts guilty of robbery carpenter named Ram Adhar.

The court convicted the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta -- for robbery, kidnapping, wrongfully confining a person, voluntarily causing hurt in committing or attempting to commit robbery, dishonestly receiving stolen property under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The convicts were tried for beating up and robbing Ram and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. They had then filed an appeal in the High Court which is still pending.

They are slated to be executed on February 1 at 6 am for raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in the national capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012.