New Delhi, February 5: The central government and the Delhi government moved a plea before the Supreme Court shortly after the High Court's order on execution of Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case convicts. After the Delhi HC upheld a trial court's decision to defer the execution of Nirbhaya case convicts, the Centre petitioned the apex court seeking expedited hanging of the four culprits. Use All Legal Options Within 1 Week: Delhi HC to Convicts' Counsel.

The Supreme Court Registrar was yet to announce the date when the pleas of the Centre and the Delhi government would be listed for hearing. The prosecution is likely to seek early hearing of the petitions, as the delay in execution of Nirbhaya case convicts has drawn flak.

The death warrant, issued on February 1, was quashed by a trial court last week as only convict Mukesh Singh had exhausted his legal remedies. The three other co-convicts - Akshay Singh Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta - were yet to use all the legal options left before them.

The Centre had challenged the trial court's decision before the Delhi High Court. The bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, while pronouncing the order today, said it cannot be disputed that the crime committed by the four convicts was gruesome. But the court decided to uphold the trial court's order, stating that the rules bar the execution of one convict while the others are yet to exhaust their legal remedies.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while addressing the issue in the Lok Sabha today, said the Narendra Modi government will take all possible steps to ensure justice for women in the nation. In the Nirbhaya, the government would take all possible measures to hang the culprits at the earliest. "We are very strict…justice will be given to her. Convicts will be hanged soon," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 05, 2020 05:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).