New Delhi, January 30: Tihar Jail authorities on Thursday opposed the stay on the February 1 death warrant of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape case victims. All the four convicts - Mukesh Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh filed a plea in a Delhi Court to stop their execution on February 1. Public prosecutor termed the petition filed by the four convicts as a “complete mockery of justice”. Nirbhaya Gangrape And Murder Case: Convict Vinay Kumar Sharma Files Mercy Petition Before President.

Meanwhile, during the hearing, their lawyer AP Singh told the court that mercy petition filed by Vinay is still pending before President Ram Nath Kovind. AP Singh, citing the provisions of the Delhi Prison Rules added that people convicted in the same crime could not be hanged until all the convicts have exhausted their legal remedies.

As per procedure, the convicts must be served with a 14-day execution notice after their mercy plea is rejected by the President. Earlier, the convicts were to be hanged on January 22. However, their execution was postponed to February 1 as President rejected Singh's mercy petition on January 17. Nirbhaya Case: Delhi High Court Rejects Convict Pawan Kumar's Claim of Committing Crime Under Juvenile Age, Dismisses His Plea.

All the four convicts are facing execution on February 1 for raping a paramedical student on December 16, 2012. The victim later succumbed to her injuries. A trial court gave them a death sentence in 2013. Till now, only two convicts – Vinay and Mukesh have filed mercy petitions. Meanwhile, the other two convicts – Akshay and Pawan are still to use their remaining legal options.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2020 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).