New Delhi, February 1: President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected mercy plea of Vinay Kumar Sharma, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case awaiting execution. Vinay, who is lodged in Tihar jail along with other convicts, sent a mercy petition to the President on Wednesday, hoping to get some relief. On Friday, a Delhi court put a stay on the death warrants issued against the four death row convicts for an indefinite period. Nirbhaya's Mother Asha Devi Breaks Down After Delhi Court Stays February 1 Execution of Convicts, Says 'Defence Lawyer AP Singh Bragged Hanging Will Never Happen'.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana stayed the death warrant in view of the pendency of the mercy plea filed by convict Vinay. As Vinay's execution could not take place, the court stayed the sentencing of the other three convicts in view of the second proviso to Rule 836 of the Delhi Prison Rules which clearly states that if any appeal or application by one of the convicts is pending, the execution of sentence for all the co-accused shall also be postponed. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Expresses 'Sadness' Over Delay in Execution of Nirbhaya Rape And Murder Convicts.

All four convicts - Mukesh Kumar Singh, Akshay Singh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta - were scheduled to be hanged at 6 am on February 1. President had earlier rejected the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh. The rejection was challenged in the Supreme Court which refused to give any relief to the convict. With this decision by the top court, Mukesh has exhausted the last legal remedy available to him against the death sentence.

The apex court had also dismissed the curative petitions of Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay. The 23-year-old victim was gangraped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which later led to her death. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

Four of the convicts were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict was confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petition in July 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2020 10:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).