Nirbhaya Gang-Rape Convict Seeks Mercy Citing Delhi's Lethal Air & Water Pollution
As atrocious as it may sound, one of the death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case has argued for a review of his sentence citing the toxic air and water quality in the national capital.
Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the four death row convicts moved the Supreme Court Tuesday seeking review of its 2017 judgement which confirmed the death penalty to all of them in the case.
"That it is important to pertain here that Air Quality?of Delhi NCR and metro city is burst and like a gas chamber and not only this the water of Delhi NCR and metro city is also full of poison, this fact proved by Govt. of India in his report, which was submitted in the Parliament House. Everyone is aware of what?is happening in Delhi NCR in regard water and air.?Life is going short to short, then why death penalty?," the review petition filed by Akshay through his lawyer A P Singh said.
Akshay had not filed a review of the SC order so far. There are also reports that Vinay, Pawan Kumar Gupta, and Mukesh Singh will file a curative petition if the review filed by Akshay is rejected. Earlier Vinay Sharma had said that he is withdrawing his?mercy plea to the president.?
Sharma had moved a plea before President Ram Nath Kovind seeking the immediate withdrawal of the mercy petition. Sharma has claimed that the mercy plea sent to the President by the Ministry of Home Affairs was not signed by him. In the mercy petition, Sharma had pleaded to commute his execution and reduce it to life imprisonment.?
Many including the family of the 23-year-old paramedical student who was raped and killed by the convicts had alleged that they are using these legal loopholes to delay the execution.
Akshay's review petition comes at a time when there are reports that preparations are ongoing in the Tihar Jail for their execution.
A jail in Buxar district of Bihar, known for its expertise in manufacturing execution ropes, has been directed to keep 10 pieces ready by the end of this week. According to reports, authorities in Tihar are also looking for a hangman, as they do not have one.
The four, along with a juvenile and one Ram Singh were arrested by the Delhi Police for the gang rape and which took place on a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. The victim who had suffered severe injuries died on December 29, 2012, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore where she was shifted for treatment.
The trial court had sentenced the four convicts to death in 2013, but the execution has prolonged for nearly six years now as they challenged the order in HC and later SC.
