Centre asks SC for law to plug loopholes delaying convict’s hanging

New Delhi: The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Friday urged the Supreme Court to lay down a law in the execution of death sentence, as the convicts in the Nirbhaya case were making a mockery of the process. The Supreme Court posted the Centre’s plea on February 11, when the one week time given by Delhi High Court to the convicts, to exhaust legal remedies, will expire.

A bench headed by Justice R. Banumathi held a brief hearing on the Centre’s plea challenging the Delhi High Court order dismissing its petition which had challenged the Patiala House Court order staying execution of the four convicts. The High Court also ruled that all the convicts should be hanged together and not separately. The Centre has challenged this too.

“Ultimately, this court will have to lay down a law. Nation’s patience is being tested. We succeeded partly in High Court but it was not enough. Although, the High Court ruled that the mercy plea is not a judicial application, but it refused to allow separate execution of the convicts”, contended Mehta before the apex court.

The Centre is seeking to execute those convicts in the Nirbhaya case who have exhausted all their legal and constitutional remedies. Out of the four convicts, three have exhausted all the legal remedies.

Only one convict is left to file a mercy petition before the President and the Centre is saying that he is deliberately delaying it. The court said: “Nobody can be compelled to take remedy challenging the death sentence if one chooses not.

IANS