Nirbhaya rape case: Hanging deferred till further notice, as last convict files for mercy

In a massive development, the Patiala House Court, on Monday, has deferred the hanging of the convicts in the Nirbhaya rape case till further notice. Earlier in the day, the court had dismissed the plea seeking a stay on the execution sought by the convicts Akshay Singh and Pawan Kumar Gupta. Subsequently, Pawan Gupta has filed for mercy from President Ram  Nath Kovind, which has been received by the Home Ministry. Upon hearing the case again, the court has deferred the hanging which was scheduled to take place on March 3 - Tuesday, at 6 AM.

Hanging deferred till further notice

Execution looming, Nirbhaya convicts' families appeal- 'hanging a sin of bramha-hatya'

Nirbhaya court proceedings

The mercy petitions of three convicts -Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, and Akshay Kumar have already been dismissed by the President. All convicts curative petition too have been dismissed by the Supreme Court. On February 17, the Patiala House Court had ordered that the convicts be hanged on March 3 after issuing fresh death warrants. This is the third such date after the previous two - January 17 and January 31 were deferred by petitions filed by the convicts.

Nirbhaya case: MHA receives mercy petition of death row convict Pawan Gupta

What is the Nirbhaya case?

23-year-old paramedic student Nirbhaya was gang-raped inside a running bus by six persons on December 16, 2012, in Delhi. The victim was severely assaulted and thrown out on the road along with her male friend and succumbed to injuries a few days later. Out of the six convicts, one committed suicide in prison, while another, a juvenile, served maximum punishment of three years in a reform home and was set free in 2015. The remaining four rapists were convicted and handed the death penalty by a trial court in 2013, confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014. The Supreme Court upheld the Delhi High Court's verdict in 2017.

Nirbhaya case: Convict Akshay moves Delhi court seeking stay on execution for all convicts

Patiala House court reserves order on plea to stay execution of Nirbhaya convicts