Nirbhaya Case: Supreme Court Rejects Convict Vinay's Request To Peruse Recommendation For Rejection Of Mercy Plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the request of Nirbhaya case death-row convict Vinay Sharma to peruse recommendation for rejection of his mercy plea. Sharma's counsel alleged in the court that the Delhi lieutenant governor and its home minister had not signed the recommendation for rejection of his mercy plea. However, a bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna perused the record and said the LG and the home minister indeed signed the recommendation for rejection of his mercy petition. Sharma, through advocate AP singh, moved the apex court on Tuesday challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the president. He claimed the "hurried rejection" was "mala fide" and violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court reserved order on the issue of rejection of Vinay Kumar Sharma's mercy petition by President Ram Nath Kovind. The bench is expected to pronounce the order at 2 pm on Friday. President Kovind had rejected Vinay's mercy petition on February 1.

Eariler, the Supreme Court has deferred hearing to Friday the Centre’s plea seeking separate execution of the Nirbhaya case convicts. Hearing a plea filed by convict Mukesh, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked Nirbhaya case convicts to file counter replies by Friday on Centre and Delhi government's plea seeking separate execution. The Supreme Court on Thursday also appointed advocate Anjana Prakash as amicus curiae for convict Pawan Gupta, who had earlier claimed that he didnot have a lawyer to assist him. Pawan is the only one among the four convicts who has not yet filed a curative petition -- the last legal remedy available to a person which is decided in-chamber. He also has the option of filing a mercy plea.