Deccan Chronicle

Wife of Nirbhaya convict threatens to end life Divorce plea not relevant: Court

Punita Devi had already filed for divorce, citing she does not wish to be a widow

- DC CORRESPOND­ENT

Barely 24 hours before the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case were to be executed, a drama played out outside Delhi’s Patiala House court, on Thursday, as the wife of one of the four convicts threatened to kill herself.

Punita Devi, the wife of Akshay Singh, on Thursday morning, was found sitting with her child outside the court which was to hear a plea seeking a stay on the execution of the convicts. The woman appeared to have a nervous breakdown and fainted.

After regaining consciousn­ess, she started beating herself with a slipper, saying, “I don’t want to live. I will kill myself.”

The woman has already filed for divorce in a local court in Bihar, contending that she does not wish to be a widow of a man who was hanged.

Crying outside the Patiala House court in the city, she said, “I want justice too. Kill me too. I don’t want to live. My husband is innocent. Why is the society after us?”

“We were living with the hope that we will get justice, but we are being killed every day for the past seven years,” she added.

She further said that she and her minor son be hanged too.Punita Devi, who beat herself with sandals, was consoled by the lawyers present outside the court.

The counsel for the victim’s parents, however, said that the convict does not deserve leniency. “Akshay was a member of our society. Everybody is pained by unnatural deaths, but Akshay does not deserve leniency,” the lawyer said.

On March 5, a trial court had issued fresh death warrants for March 20 at 5.30 am as the date for the execution of convicts Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26), and Akshay (31).

The court was on Thursday informed that no legal remedies of any of the four convicts in the case were pending in any of the courts.

Meanwhile, an altercatio­n broke out between the relatives of the accused in the Nirbhaya case and a person who was protesting against advocate A.P. Singh outside Patiala House court.

According to informatio­n, the man protesting outside the court said that no matter

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At the outset, the court said that pendency of a divorce plea of convict Akshay Kumar Singh’s wife was not relevant to stay his execution.

It also said that the Supreme Court has already held that the pending divorce plea was no longer relevant.

The bench added that the apex court’s judgement confirming death sentence has attained finality and the court cannot sit and

what A.P Singh did, the four accused will be hanged on Friday.

Following this, an altercatio­n broke out between the review over it.

“We cannot say death warrant cannot be implemente­d because divorce plea of Akshay’s wife is pending,” the bench said.

With all their legal remedies coming to an end, preparatio­ns are now in full swing in Tihar to execute the four convicts.

The execution is scheduled to be carried out by Meerut-based hangman Pawan in the presence of the superinten­dent, deputy superinten­dent, medical

accused’s kin and the man.

However, the police didn’t receive any complaint from either side.

“There was some argument officer in charge, resident medical officer and the district magistrate or additional district magistrate.

On the fateful night, six men had attacked Nirbhaya after she boarded a bus with a friend.

The two were returning after watching a movie at Saket City Walk Mall. Of the six, one committed suicide inside Tihar jail.

Another was a juvenile who was let off after remaining in a reform home for three years.

between the supporters from both sides, but we haven’t received any complaint yet,” said the police.

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