'Didn't change jail manual': NCW slams Delhi govt for delaying hanging of Nirbhaya rapists

After the President on Friday rejected the mercy petition of one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case after the Union Home Ministry recommended the rejection, National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma said that the counsellors and the defence team of Nirbhaya convicts are "playing" with the system and "taking advantage" of loopholes in law and jail manual of Delhi.

'It's only a delay tactic'

'Delhi govt slept with old jail manual'

She said that it is only a "delay tactic" and is giving a lot of "mental trauma" to the parents of Nirbhaya and everyone who is standing by them. Slamming the Delhi government, she said, "How will people fight for justice seeing these long and tedious procedures? Delhi government slept with old jail manual and didn't try to change it when the time was there. How they can advocate women security when their own rules are not in order?"

Politics over delay in hanging

On Thursday, both BJP and AAP played blame game politics over the delay in the hanging of the four convicts. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar pointed out that Tihar jail authorities had not notified the convicts of their legal options since 2017, while AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that the Kejriwal government had immediately rejected the mercy petition. All 4 convicts have been moved to Jail No. 3 where the hanging is scheduled to take place.

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Delhi HC refuses to stay death warrant

Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi government told the High Court that the four rapists will not be hanged on January 22, citing the mercy petition by Mukesh Kumar which was pending. Refusing to interfere in the delay, the Delhi High Court refused to put a stay on the death warrant of Nirbhaya's rapists stating the petition is a strategy to 'prolong the matter'. The four convicts- Vinay Sharma (26), Mukesh Kumar (32), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) are to be executed on January 22 at 7 AM in Tihar jail. Currently, the Patiala House court is mulling a new execution date, while hearing the plea asking for a stay in the death warrant.

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