Nirbhaya convict's lawyer moves SC against ex-lawyer Grover, alleges criminal conspiracy

The Nirbhaya rape and murder case took another turn on Friday when, the present lawyer of Mukesh Singh (one of the four death row convicts in the case), on Friday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the convict's former lawyer.

The petition filed by ML Sharma has alleged that convict Mukesh Singh's former lawyer Vrinda Grover for allegedly plotting a criminal conspiracy against culprit Mukesh with Delhi Police. According to the petition, Vrinda could have waited to file a curative petition for three years but purposely filed the curative petition early, so that it gets dismissed and Mukesh is hanged.

The plea was filed in the Supreme Court today and will be taken up for hearing in the next four to five days. 

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New death warrant issued 

Issuing a fresh date, the Patiala House Court on Thursday ordered that the Nirbhaya rape and murder case convicts are to be hanged till death on March 20, 5:30 AM. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana has ordered the fresh date of execution against the four convicts. The judge also directed that convicts counsel AP Singh and Ravi Qazi are allowed to meet them in the prison as per the Standard Operating Procedures of the Tihar prison. This is the fourth death warrant issued in the matter.

By now, mercy petitions of all convicts in the case have been rejected by the President. However, a "complete" mercy petition of convict Akshay Singh Thakur was recently filed claiming that the previous one, which was turned down by the President on February 5, did not have "complete facts".

READ | Nirbhaya Rape Case: Fourth death warrant issued, convicts to be hanged on March 20

What is the Nirbhaya rape and murder case?  

A 23-year-old paramedic student Nirbhaya was gang-raped inside a running bus by six persons on December 16, 2012, in Delhi. The victim was severely assaulted and thrown out on the road along with her male friend and succumbed to injuries a few days later. Out of the six convicts, one reportedly committed suicide in prison, while another, a juvenile, served maximum punishment of three years in a reform home and was set free in 2015. The remaining four rapists were convicted and handed the death penalty by a trial court in 2013, confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014. The Supreme Court upheld the Delhi High Court's verdict in 2017. 

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(With ANI inputs)