Nirbhaya Rape Case: SC Dismisses Convict Vinay Sharma’s Plea Challenging Rejection Of Mercy Petition By President

The Supreme Court on Friday (14 February) dismissed the plea filed by one of the death-row convicts in Nirbhaya case, challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President, ANI has reported.

Vinay Sharma, one of the four death-row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, had filed a plea in the apex court challenging the rejection of his mercy plea by President Ram Nath Kovind, alleging that it was done in a “mala fide” manner.

Claiming that he has “developed mental illness” inside the prison due to alleged “torture and ill-treatment”, Sharma had also sought commutation of his death sentence to life sentence.

However, a bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna on Friday (14 February) rejected Sharma’s petition, saying that the authorities had considered all relevant aspects and documents before dismissing the mercy plea, reports Times of India.

Further, the SC also did not find merit in Sharma’s plea that he suffered from mental illness and said that the general medical condition of the condemned convict shows he is stable.

The apex court had earlier dismissed a plea filed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, another death row convict in the case, challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President.

A Delhi court had earlier issued warrant for the execution of death sentence of the four convicts - Vinay, Mukesh, Pawan and Akshay - on 1 February at 6 am.

However, the execution was deferred by the Delhi court after the convicts filed an application seeking stay on the hangings as one of the convict had filed a mercy plea before the President.