Nirbhaya gang-rape convict approaches President to withdraw his mercy plea

One of the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case has moved his plea to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking immediate withdrawal of his mercy petition.

Sharma, one of the four convicts, has approached the President through his counsel AP Singh claiming that the mercy plea sent to President Kovind by the Home Ministry wasn't signed by him.

In the letter sent to the President, Singh has alleged that a conspiracy in sending the petition without his client's consent and authorisation on it and added that Sharma has not exhausted all legal remedies in the case.

"Immediate withdrawal of mercy petition sent without authorisation, consent and signed by convict Vinay Sharma, S/o Hare Ram Sharma. Jail authorities of Jail No. 4 Central Jail, Tihar, Delhi, with a mala-fide intention and criminal conspiracy with the government of NCT of Delhi sent this false without any grounds, supporting documents, mitigating circumstances and on the basis of concealment of many important facts," the letter read.

"... Without filling curative petition before the Supreme Court of India and pendency petitioners case before the High Court of Delhi at New Delhi, the decision on juvenility, and another legal remedy in the above-said case as available in the Constitution of India, have not been exhausted till now on behalf of Vinay Sharma," continues the letter.

On Friday, Nirbhaya's mother also wrote to President Kovind demanding rejection of Sharma's mercy petition.

In the plea forwarded through the Harijan Sewak Sangh, the mother alleged that convict Vinay Sharma has been deliberately trying to avoid the death sentence and "dissemination of justice".

"The mercy petition filed by one of the convicts namely Vinay Sharma... out of three, deliberately tries to avoid the execution of death sentence and hamper the dissemination of justice," she said in the plea.

"It is, therefore, most respectfully prayed that the said mercy petition is liable to be rejected," the plea added.

Earlier this week, the Delhi government "strongly recommended" the rejection of Sharma's mercy petition, saying that exemplary punishment should be given to Sharma to deter others from committing such atrocious crimes.

The petition was forward to the city government after the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court rejected it, saying Sharma "does not deserve any mercy".

The 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death.

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.