The four death-row convicts in Nirbhaya rape and murder case will be executed on March 3 at 6 am. The fresh date was issued by Patiala House court on Monday, February 17.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana pronounced the order on a petition seeking issuance of fresh date for execution of death warrants in the case pertaining to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in the national capital in December 2012.

Nirbhaya
Nirbhaya's parents participate in a candlelight vigil.IANS

Earlier, the Delhi HC stated that all four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) -- have to be executed together and not separately.

This was the third death warrant issued by the court. Earlier ones issued could not be carried out as the convicts took it in turns to use every legal option that was available to them.

Today's death warrant was used after the Tihar jail authorities informed the trial court that three of the convicts have exhausted all legal options and none of them have any appeals pending in any court at the moment.

READ | Tareek pe tareek: Nirbahya convicts will not be hanged tomorrow, execution postponed

Delhi gangrape and murder

Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts
Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts.

The 23-year-old woman was gang-raped 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.

(With agency inputs)

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