Nirbhaya rape convicts will be hanged on March 3, a new death warrant issued by a Delhi court said on Monday. The four convicts -- Vinay, Mukesh, Pawan, and Akshay -- will be executed at 6 AM in Tihar jail. The court was hearing pleas seeking fresh death warrants for the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.
Earlier in the day, Mukesh Kumar Singh, one of the convicts, told the court that he does not want to be represented by advocate Vrinda Grover. Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana was informed that another death row convict in the case, Vinay Sharma, is on hunger strike in Tihar jail.
Vinay was assaulted in jail and has head injuries, his lawyer told the court, adding that he was suffering from acute mental illness and hence the death sentence cannot be carried out.
The court directed the Tihar jail superintendent to take appropriate care of Vinay as per law.
Another convict Pawan Gupta's counsel told the court that he wanted to move curative petition before the Supreme Court and the mercy plea against the death sentence before the President.Gupta is the only one among the four convicts who has not yet filed the curative petition -- the last legal remedy available to a person, which is decided in-chamber. He also has the option of filing a mercy plea.
Akshay Kumar's counsel informed court that he has prepared fresh mercy petition to be moved before the President.
The date of execution, first fixed for January 22, was postponed for 6 am on February 1 by a January 17 court order. The trial court later, on January 31, stayed, "till further orders" the execution of the four convicts in the case, who are lodged in Tihar Jail.
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