Nirbhaya case: Court says no further directions required to supply documents to convicts

A Delhi court on Saturday said no further directions were required on a plea by the lawyer of the death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case alleging the prison authorities were not handing over certain documents required to file mercy and curative petitions, and disposed of the petition.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Jain said the convicts' lawyer can take pictures of the relevant documents, notebook and paintings or sketches from the Tihar jail authorities.

The court noted that the jail authorities had already complied with the request made by the convicts by supplying the documents whatever was lying with them.

The authorities had also brought several documents, around 10 paintings and sketches made by Vinay Kumar Sharma and his 19-page note book titled 'Darinda' and other documents to the courtroom and told the judge that if directed, those can be supplied to the convicts.

"In view thereof, no further directions for supply of any documents required. However, the jail authorities are directed to hand over copy of paintings and note book titled 'Darinda' to the counsel for convicts today in court itself against acknowledgement.

"Application disposed of accordingly," the judge said.

The hanging of all four convicts in the case is to take place on February 1 at 6 am, according to the court order.

During the proceedings, the public prosecutor, appearing for the Tihar jail authorities, told the court that they had supplied all the relevant documents sought by the lawyer of the death row convicts in the case.

He claimed that the convicts are only adopting "delaying tactics".

"The convicts are adopting the delaying tactics by filing these applications. The entire process is to defeat the law. We have already supplied all the documents. We procured all the documents from all the jails where they went," the counsel said.

While producing the documents, note book and paintings and sketches, he said, "These are all we have. If the court directs, we can hand these over to the convicts right now."