Supreme Court issues notice to all the culprits in the Nirbhaya case

(PTI) New Delhi, Ta. February 11, 2020, Tuesday

The Supreme Court has issued notice to all the four convicts in the Sarbodh on an appeal filed by the central government against the Delhi High Court verdict in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

The Supreme has given the authorities the freedom to contact the trial court to announce the new date of execution of the convicts. A three-judge bench comprising Justice R Banumati, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice AS Bopanna said that the delayed application in the Supreme Court of the Central and Delhi Government could not prevent the trial court from announcing the new date of execution.

"We are not demanding the execution of the convicts for enjoyment but for compliance with the law," said Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General, who is present on behalf of the Center and the Delhi government. He said that Pawan Gupta, one of the four convicts, has not filed a mercy petition before the President in the Supreme Court.

It is worth mentioning that the trial court on Friday rejected the requests of the Center and the Delhi government seeking to announce the new date for execution of the convicts. Earlier on January 31, the trial court upheld the death sentence of four convicts.

Vinay challenged the president's decision to reject the mercy petition

Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rap case, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the president's decision to dismiss the mercy petition. Sharma's lawyer AP Singh has demanded the death sentence be converted to life imprisonment. It may be mentioned that President Ram Nath Kovind had on February 1 rejected Vinay Sharma's mercy petition. Pawan Gupta, one of the four convicted, has not even filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court on mercy petitions before the President. The President has rejected the mercy pleas of the three other accused.