Nirbhaya case: SC to hear Mukesh's plea against no mercy

The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday the plea of Mukesh Kumar Singh, one of the death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, who moved the court on Monday seeking urgent hearing on his plea against the dismissal of his mercy petition by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Mukesh Singh, 32, submitted the plea last week. His mercy plea was dismissed by the President on January 17.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant said: "If somebody is going to be hanged, then nothing can be more urgent than this."

Later in the day, the mentioning officer considered the urgency of Mukesh Singh's plea and listed it before a three-judge bench comprising Justices R. Bhanumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A.S. Bopanna. The plea will be heard at 12.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The court had asked his counsel to approach the mentioning officer as the hanging is scheduled on February 1.

Mukesh Singh had moved the mercy petition before the President after the apex court had dismissed his curative petition against his conviction and death sentence. The court had also dismissed the curative petition of another death row convict, Akshay Thakur.

The lower court has issued the warrant for execution of death sentence for the convicts in the case that has been fixed for February 1 at 6 a.m. The other two convicts, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma, are yet to file curative petitions before the Supreme Court.-IANS