A Delhi’s Patiala court bench headed by Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana has accepted the plea filed by the death row convicts in Nirbhaya case and granted stay on their execution till further order, which was earlier scheduled on 1 February.
Although the public prosecutor Irfan Ahmad, who is representing the Tihar jail authorities, in his status report, stated that the convicts in the matter can be hanged separately and that there is no illegality in it, the Advocate AP Singh, representing the convicts argued that as per rules, when one convict’s plea is pending the others cannot be hanged. Singh further sought the court to adjourn the executions ‘sine die’ (with no appointed date for resumption) as Vinay’s mercy plea before the president is still pending.
Earlier, on 7 January, the Delhi’s Patiala Court bench headed by Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora confirmed that the four convicts in the case will be hanged at 7 AM on 22 January. However, due to pending mercy plea of one of the convicts, a fresh death warrant was issued on 17 January, stating that the convicts will be hanged on 1 February at 6 AM.
With the latest stay granted by the Delhi’s Patiala court, the execution has been stayed till further orders.
