Two Nirbhaya convicts move Delhi court seeking stay on execution

Advocate for the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts, AP Singh on Thursday moved a petition in a Delhi court seeking a stay on the execution of the convicts, scheduled on February 1.

Singh,who is representing convicts Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma, said that according to the Delhi Prison Rules, none of those convicted can be hanged untill all of them have exhausted all legal options including the mercy petition.

The matter will be heard by Additional Sessions Judge AK Jain today at 2 pm.

Earlier this month, a Delhi court had issued the death warrant for Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Kumar Sharma, and ordered their hanging on February 1.

Through an application seeking postponement of execution, AP Singh also apprised the court about the recent development.

Recently, Vinay Sharma filed a mercy petition with President Ram Nath Kovind.

Earlier, Mukesh Kumar too had filed a mercy petition, which was rejected by the President. He later challenged the rejection of his mercy petition which was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutalising 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 Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.

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