Centre seeks to execute Nirbhaya convicts separately; SC to adjudicate

Supreme Court will hear on March 5, a petition, filed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking directions toexecute the death row convictsin the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case separately.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice R Banumathi and also comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and Navin Sinha, said, we will hear the petition on March 5 at 3 pm.

This comes as a fresh death warrant has been issued for thefour death row convicts- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Mukesh Singh - in the case for their hanging at 6 am on March 3.

Also Read:Delay in the hanging of Nirbhaya convicts and interminable wait for justice

Additional Solicitor General KM Natraj, appearing for the Union of India today, submitted to the apex court that the Delhi High Court had given a week to execute the death warrants.

The Centre had moved the top court after the Delhi High Court had rejected its petition. The Delhi High Court had, on February 5, stated that thedeath warrant of all convicts in the Nirbhaya caseshould be executed together.

The Delhi High Court had observed that Delhi prison rules do not state whether when the mercy petition of one convict is pending, the execution of the other convicts can take place and from the trial court to Supreme Court all convicts have been held by a common order and a common judgment.

Watch:Nirbhaya Case: All 4 convicts to be hanged on March 3rd

Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Saturday dismissed an application filed by Vinay Sharma, one of the fourdeath row convicts in Nirbhaya case, seeking specialised medical treatment for his claimed "grievous head injury, fracture in his right arm, insanity, mental illness and schizophrenia".

The case pertains to the brutal gangrape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.