NEW DELHI, Jan 31: The four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case will not be hanged on Saturday as scheduled after a Delhi court postponed their execution indefinitely, giving the condemned prisoners a reprieve for the second time in two weeks.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana while passing the order on Friday on the plea by the convicts seeking adjournment of the
executions “sine die” (with no appointed date for resumption), however, took note of their “dilatory tactics” but did not comment on them.
Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31), who are lodged in Tihar jail, had been ordered to be hanged on 1 February at 6 am.
With Advocate AP Singh, the counsel for Pawan, Vinay and Akshay, contending that their legal remedies were yet to be exhausted, the hanging date remains uncertain.
As of now, only Mukesh has exhausted all his legal remedies, including the clemency plea, which was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on 17 January. The appeal against the rejection was thrown out by the Supreme Court on 29 January.
Reacting in anguish to the delay in the hanging, Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi said she will continue her fight till the convicts are hanged.
Devi told reporters her “hopes are dashed” but she will continue her fight till the convicts are hanged.
“These convicts have no right to live. We keep getting disappointed by the system. I will continue my fight till the convicts are hanged,” she said.
This is for the second time that the execution of the death warrants has been deferred.
The Tihar jail authorities challenged the application of the convicts, saying it was not maintainable and they can be hanged separately. But the argument was not accepted by the court. (PTI)
