No hangman in Tihar jail, authorities to get one from another state when needed

Tihar Jail, where all the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case are lodged, does not have a hangman to execute them, an official said on Monday.

The authorities said that if needed they will get a hangman from another state.

"We don't have a hangman, will get one from some other state when needed. All the four convicts in Nirbhaya case are lodged in Tihar jail," an official said.

A few days back, a Shimla man has volunteered for the job. In a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, the man named Ravi Kumar said that seven years have passed so far and the convicts are yet to be hanged. He said that he does not want any payment for the job.

The 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and brutally tortured on December 16, 2012, which led to her death.All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar jail.

On December 7, one of the convicts in the case had moved his plea to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking immediate withdrawal of his mercy petition.Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts, had approached the President through his counsel AP Singh claiming that the mercy plea sent to President Kovind by the Home Ministry wasn't signed by him.In the letter sent to the President, Singh alleged that a conspiracy in sending the petition without his client's consent and authorisation on it and added that Sharma has not exhausted all legal remedies in the case.

Last week, Nirbhaya's mother also wrote to President Kovind demanding rejection of Sharma's mercy petition.In the plea forwarded through the Harijan Sewak Sangh, the mother alleged that Sharma has been deliberately trying to avoid the death sentence and "dissemination of justice". The Delhi government also "strongly recommended" the rejection of Sharma's mercy petition, saying that exemplary punishment should be given to Sharma to deter others from committing such atrocious crimes.The petition was forward to the city government after the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court rejected it, saying Sharma "does not deserve any mercy".

( With inputs from ANI )