New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea of one of Nirbhaya gangrape and murder accused. Death row convict Mukesh, brother of main accused Ram Singh who had committed suicided in Tihar prison during the court proceedings, had filed a plea after his mercy petition was rejected by the President of India.
Dismissing the petition of 2012 Delhi gangrape convict Mukesh Singh, the Supreme Court said there is no merit in the contention. “Alleged sufferings in jail can’t be grounds to challenge the rejection of mercy plea by President,” the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.
The Supreme Court also said that expeditious disposal of mercy plea doesn’t mean non-application of mind by President. A three-judge bench headed by Justice R Banumathi pronounced the verdict on Wednesday on convict Mukesh Kumar Singh’s plea.
The Supreme Court had on Tuesday reserved verdict on a plea of one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President.
President Ram Nath Kovind had rejected the mercy petition of Mukesh on January 17. The four death row convicts in the case are scheduled to be hanged on February 1.
While Mukesh Singh has exhausted almost all legal options, another death row convicts in the Nirbhaya case approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday with a curative petition.
Advocate AP Singh, representing convict Akshay Kumar, said he has filed a curative plea on Wednesday and the SC registry has sought some more documents along with the petition.
“I have approached the SC registry with curative petition today. The registry has asked me to file some additional documents along with the petition and I am in the process of completing the formalities,” Singh told the press.
So far, the curative petitions filed by two convicts -- Vinay and Mukesh -- in the case have already been dismissed by the Supreme Court. Curative petition is the last legal recourse available to a person in a court of law.
