Delhi Court dismisses Tihar’s plea seeking a fresh warrant for execution

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by Tihar jail authorities seeking issuance of fresh death warrants against the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, observing that it was “bereft of merit”.

“The applications are bereft of merit and are dismissed. The state is permitted to file applications as and when required. The matter is disposed of for being premature,” Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana observed.

The judge further said that it was “criminally sinful to condemn the convicts when the law permits them to live”.

“Admittedly the Delhi High Court has permitted the convicts to exercise their legal remedies within one week of the said order. I concur with the learned Amicus of Mukesh that death warrants cannot be executed on the basis of conjectures,” Rana said.

During the course of proceedings on Friday, victim’s counsel Jitendra Kumar Jha requested the court to issue fresh death warrants against the convicts, claiming that none of their petitions is pending before the court of law or any other constitutional authority.

“The convicts are resting to tactics to unnecessarily delay the hanging and earn brownie points,” said another counsel representing the victim’s family.

Vrinda Grover, who represented convict Mukesh, vehemently opposed the contentions and said that the application deserved to be dismissed.

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