New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy petition filed by Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case.
The Union home ministry had earlier forwarded the mercy petition of Mukesh to the president recommending its rejection.
Mukesh had filed the mercy petition on Tuesday after the Supreme Court dismissed curative petitions filed by him.
"The Home Ministry has forwarded the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh to the President. The ministry has reiterated the recommendation of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi for its rejection," an official said.
The Delhi LG had sent the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh to the Home Ministry on Thursday, a day after the Delhi government recommended its rejection.
The four convicts, Mukesh Singh (32), Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) were to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar Jail. A Delhi court had issued their death warrants on January 7.
However, during a hearing, the Delhi government had informed the high court that the execution of the convicts will not take place on January 22 as one of the convicts had filed a mercy petition.
They were convicted for raping and brutally torturing a 23-year-old paramedic student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. The woman, who was later referred to as 'Nirbhaya', was airlifted to Singapore for her treatment where she succumbed to her injuries.
Fresh death warrants have been issued against the four convicts. They will now be executed on February 1 at 6 am.
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