Dec 16 case fallout: New death penalty deadline mooted

NEWDELHI: TheCentre onWednesday approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction on the timelines and process for deathrow convicts to use mercy and curative petitions in a move that comesagainstthebackdropofthe death-rowconvictsintheDecember 2012 gang-rape and murder caseusingthegarbofdueprocess to delay their executions.

The government, in its petition, urged the court to adopt a victim-centric approach in heinous crimes so that faith of the public in judicial process is not shaken.Thedelayincarryingout thedeathwarrantofthefourconvicts in the 2012 case has been widely criticised. The mother of the victim has been especially critical of the process.

The application filed by the Centre seeks modifications and clarificationsinfurtherance of a 2014 judgment of the top court in the Shatrughan Chauhan v. Union of India which laid down guidelines for safeguarding the interest of death-row convicts.

The government, in its plea, asked the court to impose a time limit within which a death-row convicthastofileacurativepetition after his review petition is rejected. The plea also asked the court to issue a direction that a death-row convict should file a mercypetitionwithinsevendays from the date of receipt of death warrant issued by a competent court. Moreover, the Centre has sought directions to be issued to all states, jail authorities and competent courts to issue death warrantswithinsevendaysofthe rejection of mercy pleas and to execute convicts within seven daysofissuingthedeathwarrant irrespective of the stage of review, curative or mercy petitions of co-convicts.