The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the final review plea filled by Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the convicts in the infamous Nirbhaya gang-rape case.
The bizarre petition states that “Delhi air and water pollution is already killing us. Life is going short to short, then why the death penalty?”
A three-judge bench headed by Justice R Banumathi, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A S Bopanna contended that there is no ground to review the 2017 verdict which granted death penalty to the four convicts. The bench upheld that the review petition is not for re-hearing of appeal over and over again.
After the verdict was pronounced, Akshay’s advocate A P Singh, sought three weeks to file a mercy petition. He further argued that the investigation was faulty and that Akshay was booked under intense public pressure. The victim’s dying declaration was also claimed to be dubious by advocate Singh.
However, the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Delhi government, told the bench that a one-week time is prescribed under the law for filing mercy petition.
“We are not expressing our view in this regard. If as per the law any time is available to the petitioner, it is for the petitioner to avail the remedy of filing mercy petition within that stipulated time,” the bench said.
