Fresh Death Warrants Issued For All 4 Convicts

Court sets Feb 1 as execution date, expresses displeasure over delay

- Aneesha Mathur

A fresh death warrant has been issued against the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, with the date of death penalty scheduled for February 1 now.

However, with the option of filing a curative plea before the apex court remaining for two of the convicts — and an option to file a mercy petition before the President open for three of them — the date of the execution may be pushed further.

Additional Sessions Judge Satish Arora issued the death warrants hours after President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy plea filed by Mukesh Kumar.

Kumar had moved the mercy plea on Tuesday, and the plea was fast-tracked by the Delhi government and the home ministry, which recommended that there were no grounds to extend pardon to the convict.