New Delhi, January 17: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday night sent the mercy plea of one the convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case to President Ram Nath Kovind. The MHA recommended rejection of the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh. The plea was rejected by the Delhi government on Wednesday. It was then forwarded to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, who sent it to the MHA. Nirbhaya Gangrape & Murder Case: 'Execution of Convicts Will Surely Not Take Place on January 22', Says Tihar Jail Counsel Rahul Mehra.

Singh moved the mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday after the Supreme Court dismissed curative petitions filed by him and another convict Vinay Kumar. Till now, only Singh moved mercy plea before the President. Meanwhile, the other two convicts – Pawan Gupta and Akshay Kumar Singh have not filed any curative petitions.

On Thursday, all four convicts in the case shifted to separate cells inside prison number 3 of Tihar jail near the hanging courtyard. Yesterday, a Delhi court directed the Tihar jail authorities to file a proper report by January 17 about the status of the scheduled execution of all four convicts.

The execution of the convicts could be delayed as the President, till now, has not given his decision on the Singh’s mercy plea. All four convicts in the case were issued death warrant by the Patiala House Court on January 7. They are scheduled to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am. 'Black Warrant' Issued Against Four Convicts in Nirbhaya Gangrape And Murder Case; Here's What it Means.

A total of six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder after a 23-year-old woman was gangraped and tortured on December 16, 2012, leading to her death. One of the convicts was minor and was sent to a rehabilitation centre, and another, Ram Singh, committed suicide in the Tihar Jail.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2020 11:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).