Parents of Nirbhaya, death row convicts protest outside court for & against hanging

Nirbhaya's parents Thursday protested outside a trial court here against delay in hanging of the four death row convicts for gang rape and murder of their daughter, while parents of the condemned prisoners protested against the death sentence. The protests were held after the court adjourned for Monday the hearing on the pleas seeking fresh warrants against the convicts.

Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana appointed an advocate to represent Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the case, after he refused to take a lawyer offered by DLSA as legal aid. Gupta is the only one among the four convicts who has not yet filed a curative petition -- the last legal remedy available to a person, which is decided in-chamber. He also has the option of filing a mercy plea.

The court was hearing applications moved by Nirbhaya's parents and the Delhi government, seeking fresh death warrants for the four convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts. The Tihar jail authorities had filed a status report on Tuesday before the trial court stating that no legal option was preferred by any convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) -- in last seven-day period, granted by the Delhi High Court.