Nirbhaya case: Mukesh files mercy plea before President after SC refuses stay on execution

One of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case who are to be hanged on January 22 filed a mercy plea before the President on Tuesday shortly after the Supreme Court refused to stay the execution of two of them including him.

The mercy plea was filed by 32-year-old Mukesh Kumar, who along with Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25), are scheduled to be hanged at 7 am on January 22 in Tihar jail following an order by a Delhi court which issued their death warrants on January 7.

Mukesh and Vinay, who sought yet another legal remedy to escape the gallows, failed to get any relief when the Supreme Court dismissed their curative petitions against their conviction and capital punishment. A curative petition is the last and final judicial remedy available to a person convicted by courts of law.

Akshay and Pawan have not filed any curative petitions yet but their lawyer said this will be done soon.

Moving the mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind, Mukesh also approached the Delhi High Court for quashing the death warrant. The high court is expected to take up Mukesh's petition on Wednesday.

Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said Mukesh moved the mercy plea in the evening after his curative petition was dismissed by the apex court.

"Today is a big day for me because I have been struggling for seven years, till date. Today is a big day for me but the biggest day would be January 22 when the four would be hanged," said Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi.

"I hope that the other remedies available to them would be similarly rejected in future and they will be hanged on January 22. I have fought according to law for seven years and we will get justice legally."