Prakash Javadekar Blames Delhi Government For Delay In Hanging Of Nirbhaya Convicts

Union Minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar has blamed Aam Admi Party-led Delhi government’s negligence for the delay in the hanging of the Nirbhaya gangrape convict. The BJP leader questioned the Delhi government for not giving notice to convicts for 2.5 years after the Supreme Court rejected their mercy plea. “The hanging of the convicts in 2012 Delhi gang-rape case is now delayed because of Delhi govt's negligence. AAP is responsible for the delay in justice. Why did Delhi govt not give notice to the convicts for filing mercy plea in the last 2.5 years?” Prakash Javadekar asked.

The senior BJP leader told reporters that had the AAP government given notices to all convicts within a week of the Supreme Court order, they would have been hanged by now and the nation would have got justice.

Meanwhile, the mercy plea of Mukesh Kumar Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, was rejected by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday.

The development comes a day after the Arvind Kejriwal government sent a recommendation of rejection of the mercy plea to the LG. Acting on that, Baijal rejected the mercy plea, News Nation has learnt that Baijal’s recommendation has already been sent to the Union Home Ministry. Sources in the government say that the Amit Shah-led ministry will send the recommendation on mercy plea to President Ram Nath Kovind today itself.

What Delhi High Court had said

Mukesh Singh had approached a Delhi court seeking postponement of the date of his execution on the ground that his mercy petition is pending with the President of India. The court will hear the matter at 2 pm on Thursday. The Delhi High Court Wednesday declined to entertain Singh’s plea against the death warrant issued by a trial court and gave him the liberty to challenge it in the sessions court.

The plea was mentioned before Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora who has issued notice to the state and parents of the Nirbhaya for Thursday. The court asked the counsel for Mukesh to supply an advance copy of the plea to the prosecutor. Mukesh's counsel moved the trial court immediately after the Delhi High Court declined to entertain his plea to set aside the January 7 order issuing his death warrant and asked them to approach the lower court.

No relief from Supreme Court

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the curative petitions filed by two Nirbhaya convicts. Two convicts – Mukesh Singh and Vinay Kumar Sharma – had filed the curative pleas after a Delhi court issued death warrants against them. A curative petition is the last legal remedy available to a convict apart from mercy plea. A five-judge bench of Justices NV Ramana, Arun Mishra, RF Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan was hearing the curative pleas.