President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected the mercy plea of Nirbhaya rape and murder case convict Pawan Gupta. The President of India made the decision on the mercy plea of 2012 Delhi gangrape convict Pawan Gupta on Wednesday, March 4.
Court stays hanging of convicts
Pawan, along with three other convicts -- Akshay Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Sharma -- was scheduled to hang at the national capital's Tihar jail on March 3. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected a curative petition filed by Pawan Gupta.
Pawan had also moved a fresh application before the lower court in Delhi, asking to stop March 3rd's execution on grounds that his mercy plea was pending.
The court also deferred the matter until further orders. This is the third consecutive time their execution has been stayed by a Delhi court after the death warrant was issued.
READ | Nirbhaya verdict: No hanging tomorrow, convicts execution deferred till further orders
Now all four death-row convicts have exhausted the available legal recourses, as per the Constitution of India.
As the plea has finally been rejected by the President, the convict will be given around two weeks time to meet his family members. Meanwhile, the court can go ahead and issue fresh death warrants as the four convicts won't have any other known legal option to delay the hanging.
