Bihar court defers hearing on divorce petition of Nirbhaya case convict

A court here on Thursday deferred till March 24 hearing on the petition filed by wife of one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape case who sought a divorce, saying she did not wish to be called "the widow of a rapist".

The hearing was deferred by the family court here after the counsel for the petitioner, Puneeta Devi, submitted that she has left for Delhi for a last meeting with Akshay Singh who faces the gallows on Friday.

Her counsel also said that she was likely to return after Singh's death sentence was executed and his last rites were performed.

The court posted the matter for next week observing that it was essential for the petitioner to be physically present for the matter to proceed.

Puneeta Devi has been maintaining that her husband was "innocent" and the divorce petition triggered speculation that it was a "ploy' to delay the execution of the death sentence.

Akshay Singh is a native of Lahankarma village in Aurangabad district of Bihar, about 225 km from Patna.