Final hearing on 2 Delhi gang-rape convicts' pleas in July

The Supreme Court on Monday extended its March 15 interim order staying execution of the death sentence of Mukesh and Pawan Gupta — two of the four convicts in the December 16, 2012, Delhi gang-rape case — and directed the matter be listed in July’s second week for final hearing.

A bench of Justices B S Chauhan and J Chelameswar asked the Delhi government to place before it all the records in the case, including that of the trial court along with their English translation.

The apex court on April 7 had asked counsel M L Sharma, who is representing Mukesh and Pawan Gupta, to place before it the post-mortem report of the Singapore hospital where the victim was treated and succumbed to her injuries. A bench of Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Shiva Kirti Singh, at a special sitting on March 15, had stayed the execution of the death sentence of Mukesh and Pawan till March 31.

This was extended by Justices Chauhan and Chelameswar by a week till April 7, again extended and now it stands extended till the second week of July.

Mukesh and Pawan have contended that the prosecution’s story that the victim’s end came because of heavy bleeding on account of serious injuries to her intestines was not confirmed by the post-mortem report by the Singapore hospital.

They contended that their trial was not free and fair, and was under “public/political pressure” with “object to hang the petitioners (Mukesh and Pawan) and other accused people”.