New Delhi: Lawyers for Nirbhaya’s parents on Tuesday made a urgent mentioning before Justice Suresh Kumar Kait of the Delhi High Court seeking early disposal of the Centre’s plea for vacating the stay on the death warrants against the four convicts in the gang-rape and murder case.
“Justice Kait responded that he held a hearing on Saturday and Sunday which shows that the court understands the urgency of the matter and also assured that he will pass the order at the earliest,” said Jitendra Jha, counsel for the parents.
The Delhi High Court had on Sunday reserved its order on a plea filed by the Central government challenging the trial court order, which had stayed for an indefinite period, the execution warrants issued against the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case – Akshay, Pawan, Mukesh and Vinay.
Additional Sessions Judge Darmendra Rana, in his order, had said: “Without commenting upon the dilatory tactics adopted by the convicts, suffice it would be state that seeking redressal of one’s grievances through procedure established by law was the hallmark of any civilized society. The Courts of this country cannot afford to adversely discriminate any convict, including death row convicts in pursuit of xhis legal remedies, by turning a Nelson’s eye towards him.”
A 23-year-old woman was gangraped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail.
Four of the convicts were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petition in July 2018.
