New Delhi: Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi protested Wednesday outside a trial court premises here over the delay in hanging of the four convicts in the gangrape and murder case of her daughter.
Devi’s protests came right after the trial court offered Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the case, stating that a condemned convict is entitled to legal aid till his last breath.
Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana expressed displeasure over delay from Pawan’s side who said he has removed his earlier lawyer and will need time to engage a new one.
District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) provided Pawan’s father with a list of its empanelled advocates to chose from.
Nirbhaya’s parents and the Delhi government had moved the court Tuesday seeking fresh death warrants for the four convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts.
The date of execution, first fixed for January 22 in Tihar jail, was postponed for 6.00 am February 1 by a January 17 court order. The trial court later stayed January 31, ‘till further orders’ the execution of the four convicts in the case.
The Tihar jail authorities had filed a status report Tuesday before the trial court stating that no legal option was preferred by any convicts – Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) – in last seven-day period, granted by the Delhi High Court.
PTI