Nirbhaya case: President dismisses mercy plea filed by convict Pawan Gupta

The President of India has dismissed the mercy plea of 2012 Delhi gangrape convict Pawan Gupta. Pawan, along with three other convicts is scheduled to hang at Delhi's Tihar jail on March 3. Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a curative petition filed by Pawan.

The Patiala House Court in Delhi on March 2 also refused to stay the execution of the four convicts on death row for the gangrape of a 23-year-old medical student on a moving bus. Parents of the victim, who died of fatal internal injuries days after the incident, claim that the counsels of the convicts are using legal remedies available to them to delay the executions.

Arguing before Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana at the Patiala House Court, counsel for death row convict Akshay Thakur sought a stay on the March 3 execution citing Rule 854 of the Delhi prison rules. Counsel for the convicts, AP Singh also informed the judge that Pawan Gupta's review petition was dismissed on July 9, 2018.