Uncertainty over hanging date of Nirbhaya convicts

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the petition of Vinay Sharma (26), one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case, rejecting his plea for a life term in view of his “mental illness” and that President Ram Nath Kovind had dismissed his mercy petition without examining all facts.

This paves way for Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana of Delhi’s Patiala House courts to consider on Monday the plea of the Centre and the Delhi Government to fix date for hanging of all four convicts.

The judge would, however, do so only after hearing advocate Ravi Qazi appointed by him to represent Pawan Gupta(25) after his council AP Singh withdrew from representing him. That means at least another hearing to issue the death warrant. The hanging may be further delayed as Pawan is the only convict who has not yet sought mercy from the President nor moved the

Supreme Court with a curative petition.

The Supreme Court listed further hearing on the Centre’s plea for separate hangings of the four convicted to death in the Nirbhaya case on February 20 at 3 pm. The Bench decided to hold the hearing only after the trial court decides the matter on February 17 at 2 PM after hearing the new lawyer, Ravi Qazi, to argue the case for Pawan Gupta, one of the four convicts. Also listed before the trial court is the Tihar Jail’s prayer to fix the date for hanging the four.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has come out with guidelines for expeditious hearing of criminal appeals involving death penalty, a decision which comes against the backdrop of delay in execution of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.