A Delhi court on Friday stayed the hanging of the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case till further orders.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana passed the order on plea by the convicts seeking a stay on their execution on February 1.
A trial court had on January 17 issued black warrants for the second time for the execution of all the four convicts in the case — Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan (25), Vinay (26) and Akshay (31) — at 6 am on February 1. Earlier, on January 7, the court had fixed January 22 as the date of hanging.
The stay on execution was sought on the ground that the convicts have not exhausted all available legal remedies, reported Live Law. Vinay’s mercy plea before the president is pending.
The convicts’ lawyer, according to PTI, argued that rules dictate that when one convict’s plea is pending the others cannot be hanged.
Advocate A P Singh, representing the convicts — Pawan, Vinay and Akshay — urged the court to adjourn the executions “sine die” (with no appointed date for resumption).
(With PTI inputs)