Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi for the delay in the execution of four men convicted in the 2012 gang-rape of a medical student that triggered nationwide outrage.
“The hanging of the convicts in 2012 Delhi gang-rape case is now delayed because of Delhi government’s negligence. AAP is responsible for the delay in justice. Why did Delhi government not give notice to the convicts for filing mercy plea in last 2.5 years?” Mr Javadekar said at a news conference.
The execution of the four Nirbhaya case convicts “will surely not take place” on January 22 because of a mercy petition filed by one of them, the Delhi government told the High Court on Wednesday. But the court refused to set aside the death warrant put out by a trial court judge, saying there was “nothing wrong with it”.
Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Akshay Kumar Singh and Pawan Gupta are to be hanged next Wednesday at 7 am inside Tihar jail in Delhi. A trial court judge signed a death warrant for the execution, seven years after a young medical student was gang-raped on a moving bus, tortured and killed in December 2012.
The High Court refused to hear the convict’s petition challenging the death warrant, asking him to approach the trial court.
None of the four convicts can be executed on January 22 unless the mercy plea is decided, the court was told.
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