Nirbhaya Case: Convict Moves Fresh Mercy Petition

The mercy petitions of three convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh -- have already been rejected by President Ram Nath Kovind

Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the convicts in Nirbhaya rape case, filed another mercy petition before the President of India claiming that the previous grant for mercy did not have complete facts. Akshay filed the plea on February 25. President Ram Nath Kovind had dismissed his petition on February 5. "Now it has reached the President Secretariat," advocate A.P. Singh told media persons on Saturday. "This convict is not the only person being punished, his entire family has suffered greatly as a result of the criminal proceedings," the plea stated. Akshay, along with three others, is scheduled to be hanged on March 3 at 6 a.m. Another convict Pawan Gupta has filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court. Out of all the convicts, he is the only convict who is yet to file the mercy petition before the President. The mercy petitions of three convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh -- have already been rejected by President Ram Nath Kovind. Court Notice On Plea For Stay On Hanging The four convicts moved the application to seek a stay on their hanging scheduled for March 3 on the ground that a fresh mercy and curative petition filed by two of them is pending. "This hon'ble court (should) stay the execution of the petitioners until determination of their mercy petition...," the petition read. The matter is listed for hearing at 10 a.m. on March 2. The court asked the jail authorities to submit a report on their petition. On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang raped and brutally murdered in a moving bus in south Delhi. She died after a fortnight. (With Agency Inputs)