Nirbhaya convict moves SC challenging mercy plea's rejection

Within days of rejection of his mercy plea, one of the four Nirbhaya case convicts, Mukesh Kumar Singh on Saturday moved the Supreme Court, challenging the decision by the President.

In a writ petition, he questioned the order passed by the President to his mercy plea, filed under Article 72 of the Constitution, which dealt with the power grant pardon, and to suspend, remit or commute sentence.

On January 17, President Ram Nath Kovind had rejected the plea by the convict in the 2012 gangrape and murder case, soon after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) forwarded him the petition. The MHA on the same day had recommended for rejecting it.

Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal too had recommended rejection of his mercy plea.

A Delhi court had on January 17 issued fresh death warrants against the four convicts, Mukesh (32) Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25), fixing February 1 at 6 am as the date and time of their hanging. The court had earlier on January 7 directed their hanging on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail. However, it could not happen due to filing of mercy petition by Mukesh.

On Saturday, a plea was moved before a Delhi court for directions to the jail authorities, required to file the mercy petition for Vinay and curative petitions for Akshay and Pawan. The court, however, noted that the jail authorities had already complied with the request made by the convicts by supplying their documents.