SC not in a hurry to hear govt. pleas on execution

It said Nirbhaya convicts had 7 days to exhaust remedies

The Supreme Court on Friday conveyed that it is in no hurry to hear the appeals filed by the Centre and the NCT of Delhi for permission to separately execute Nirbhaya convicts.

A Bench, led by Justice R. Banumathi, remained impassive as Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta urged the court to issue a formal notice to the convicts on the appeals. The law officer intermittently asked the court to at least allow the government to serve the copies of the appeal papers to the convicts through the jail authorities.

Mr. Mehta said the “nation is losing patience” seeing the convicts misuse the legal process to delay the execution of their death sentence. “A law needs to be laid down,” Mr. Mehta stressed.

Justice Banumathi drew Mr. Mehta’s attention to the fact that the Delhi High Court, in its February 5 judgment rejecting the government’s plea to separately execute the convicts, had given the men seven days to exhaust whatever remedies were left to them.