President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy plea of Mukesh Singh, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape-and-murder case. Mukesh is the first of the four convicts to have exhausted all avenues of legal recourse against execution.
The Union home ministry had forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind the mercy petition of Mukesh, recommending its rejection, officials said. Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape-and-murder case, had filed the mercy petition a few days ago.
"The home ministry has forwarded the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh to the president. The ministry has reiterated the recommendation of the lieutenant governor of Delhi for its rejection," the official said.
The Delhi L-G had sent the mercy petition of Mukesh to the home ministry on Thursday, a day after the Delhi government recommended its rejection.
The four convicts—Mukesh Singh (32), Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25)—were to be hanged on January 22 at 7am in Tihar Jail. A Delhi court had issued their death warrants on January 7.
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However, the Delhi government had informed the Delhi High court during a hearing that execution of the convicts will not take place on January 22 as a mercy plea has been filed by Mukesh.
Vinay Sharma had in December withdrawn his mercy plea, claiming it was sent without his consent. The remaining two convicts are yet to file mercy pleas. After rejection of the mercy plea, a convict has a maximum of 14 days to prepare for execution.
(With PTI inputs)
