Nirbhaya gang rape, murder case: Delhi court cancels February 1 hanging of convicts till further orders

Nirbhaya gang rape, murder case: A Delhi court on Friday canceled the executions of convicts in the Nirbhaya case till further orders. Nirbhaya's mother said that convicts have been taking advantage of the legal system.

A day ahead of the hangings of the convicts of Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, a Delhi court put stay on the February 1 execution order.

Reports said all 4 convicts-Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh, Akshay Singh and Vinay Sharma- will not be hanged till Court’s next order. This was the second time that the executions have been halted due to review, curative and mercy petitions.

Convict Mukesh Singh’s lawyer, AP Singh told the media that the death warrant has been cancelled and court hasn’t given any new date yet.

The court’s order to halt the hangings was not less than a heart breaker for Nirbhaya’s mother who has been fighting for justice from last 7 years. One can easily notice fromher face that she was very much upset with the court’s decision. While talking to the media, she said a convict’s lawyer had challenged her in court that there would be no hanging. It is clear that the convicts have been misusing the legal system that the government says is skewed.

Lawyer AP Singh had filed a new petition in the Supreme Court today, asserting Pawan Gupta’s claim of being a minor in 2012, when the incident had happened.

The same claim was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier also and today the convict requested the court to review its decision.
Last week, the top court had said that the age claim cannot be raised again and again.

But it was Vinay Sharma’s mercy petition that forced the court to halt the hangings. Reports said even if the President would have rejected the plea, the convicts would get 14 days time before execution as per the Indian judicial system.