Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : The Tihar Jail authorities have written to the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case regarding their final meeting with their families. This comes 10 days ahead of March 3 — the date set for the execution of the four death row convicts in the 2012 gang rape and murder case.
“Given in writing to the four accused about their final meeting with family. Informed Mukesh and Pawan that they have already availed the final meeting. Asked Akshay and Pawan to indicate their date of final meeting. Apart from this the regular meetings of twice a week is continuing for all of them,” a senior jail official said.
A Delhi court on February 17, ordered that the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case will be hanged “by the neck until they are dead” on March 3 at 6 a.m. after observing that deferring the execution any further would be sacrilegious to the victim’s rights.
“Article 21 merely guarantees an opportunity to the condemned convicts to exercise their legal rights. However, whether to utilise this opportunity is a matter of choice. The executions were deferred twice… deferring them any further would be sacrilegious to the rights of the victim for expeditious justice,” the court observed.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana was hearing a petition seeking the issuance of a fresh date for the execution of the death warrants in the case.
On January 31, a trial court had stayed “till further order” the execution of the four convicts — Mukesh Kumar Singh, 32, Pawan Gupta, 25, Vinay Kumar Sharma, 26, and Akshay Kumar, 31.
Of the four convicts, Pawan has not yet availed the remedy of either curative petition or mercy plea.
Nirbhaya convict”s injury self-inflicted, superficial: Tihar
On other hand, the Tihar Jail authorities on Saturday told a Delhi court that the injuries sustained by death-row convict in Nirbhaya rape case, Vinay Sharma, are “self-inflicted and superficial”.
“Convict is under control, injuries are self inflicted and superficial. Radiologist conducted an X-ray and found that convict did not sustain any fracture,” Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmad told the court on Saturday.
The authorities also submitted a CD containing CCTV footage of Vinay banging his head against the wall. “The medical call made by the convict was a false.”
Doctors have been conducting examination of all the convicts and report is sent to DG (Prison) daily, he said.
The authorities also said that Vinay does not suffer from any mental disease. Vinay”s psychiatry report was also submitted to the court.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana was hearing an application filed on behalf of Vinay seeking better treatment for his claimed mental illness, schizophrenia and injuries in head and arm.
He allegedly attempted to hurt himself by hitting his head against a wall in jail, earlier this week.
While seeking a direction to shift Vinay to Delhi”s Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS) for “high level treatment”, his counsel, A.P. Singh, had contended that his client is suffering from mental illness and schizophrenia.
Vinay has exhausted all this legal remedies. He, along with three other convicts, are scheduled to be hanged on March 3 at 6 am.
One of the convicts, Pawan, has not yet availed the remedy of either curative or mercy petition.
The case pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl in the national capital in December 2012.
