HC asks Tihar authorities to consider media house plea to interview Nirbhaya convicts

Follow us on

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Tihar Jail authorities to consider afresh the plea of a media house seeking permission to interview the four men on death row for their role in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

Justice Navin Chawla asked the authorities to communicate their decision by Thursday. The media house has sought permission to interview the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Kumar Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) -- who are to be hanged on March 20.

The court had on March 5 told the media house not to encourage the convicts. "They have made a mockery of the system. Please do not encourage them," it had said.

The media house, in its petition, has also challenged the Tihar Jail's rejection of their application seeking permission to interview the four death row convicts.

It has claimed the purpose behind the interview "was to have a deterrent effect on such crimes in the future".

It said the application for permission was moved before the prison authorities on February 25 and it was denied on February 27.