Nirbhaya Case: Supreme Court Sets Friday 2 PM Deadline For Convicts To File Pleas

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has asked all convicts in the horrific Nirbhaya case of 2012, to file their replies by 2 PM on Friday. One of the death row convicts, Vinay Sharma, is challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President of India.

The apex court has also deferred a plea by the Centre seeking hanging of the death row convicts separately, to Friday.

It may be recalled Mukesh Singh has exhausted all his options when the rejection of his mercy petition by the president was challenged before the Supreme Court. The apex court said that it would not go into the details around the President's rejection, but would only examine if he had been provided with all the necessary documents with respect to the case.

Meanwhile, the Patiala House Court is hearing a petition to issue a fresh death warrant for the four convicts, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh and Pawan Gupta. The Patiala House Court had earlier issued a death warrant or Black warrant for the convicts to be hanged on February 1. However, on January 31, Patiala House Court Additional Sessions Judge, Dharmender Rana deferred the hanging indefinitely.

After allowing almost a week granted to them by the Delhi High Court to lapse, Pawan Gupta on Wednesday, sought a fresh lawyer to represent him.

Meanwhile, Nirbhaya's distraught mother, while vowing to continue her legal battle, wondered if she did not have any rights.