Video Producer: Shohini Bose
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Delhi’s Patiala House court on Monday, 17 February issued fresh date of execution for the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. They will now be executed on 3 March at 6 am.
This is the third time the court is issuing a death warrant for the convicts, who are trying to exhaust all their legal remedies.
Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana issued fresh warrants against the death row convicts – Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31).
The court was hearing applications by Nirbhaya’s parents and the Delhi government, seeking fresh death warrants for the convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts.
The date of execution, first fixed for 22 January, was postponed to 6 am on 1 February by a 17 January court order. The trial court later, on 31 January, stayed, "till further orders" the execution of the four convicts in the case, who are lodged in Tihar Jail.
Reacting to the latest development, Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi said that she is not very happy since this is the third death warrant but hoped that they are executed this time.
“I am not very happy as this is the third time that death warrant has been issued. We have struggled so much, so I am satisfied that death warrant has been issued finally. I hope they (convicts) will be executed on 3 March,” Asha Devi told the media.
Earlier during the day, the court discharged Advocate Vrinda Grover as convict Mukesh’s counsel after his mother (on his behalf) asked for a different lawyer to represent him. Advocate Ravi Qazi has now been appointed as a counsel.
The court also recorded that Akshay Singh, one of the other convicts, will be filing a fresh mercy petition to the President. Akshay has withdrawn his existing mercy petition on the basis that it was hastily and poorly prepared.
(With inputs from PTI)
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