NEW DELHI: Three Nirbhaya convicts---Akshay Singh, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma—have approached the International Court of Justice (the main judicial body of the United Nations ) to seek a stay on their execution.
This comes after, Vinay Sharma, one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case approached the Delhi High Court on Friday alleging constitutional irregularities committed by the Delhi government while recommending his mercy plea to the President.
The plea filed through advocate A.P. Singh alleged that the model code of conduct was in force in New Delhi from January 7, when the mercy petition was referred on January 29 and the same was recommended for rejection without the signatures of Delhi Home Minister Surendra Kumar Jain and Chief Secretary.
“On the basis of the said recommendation, the mercy plea was rejected by the President of India on February 1,” the plea read.
On March 6, A Delhi court again issued fresh death warrants against four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case and for the fourth time set a date for them to be hanged on March 20 at 5.30 a.m. “It is directed that convicts shall be hanged by the neck until they are dead on March 20 at 5.30 a.m.,” said Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana.
Nirbhaya’s mother welcomed the decision and said, “The hanging has already been deferred thrice. I will be satisfied only when they are hanged by the noose.”
“Before dying, Nirbhaya had asked me to ensure that her rapists should get such a punishment that this crime was not repeated ever,” Nirbhaya’s mother, Asha Devi, said after the court directed four death-row convicts in the case to be hanged on March 20 at 5.30 a.m.
The case pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl in the national capital in December 2012.