Nirbhaya Convicts To Now Hang On March 3 At 6 am, Says Delhi Court

The four convicts, who got death penalty for the gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi - dubbed Nirbhaya by the media -- more than seven years ago, will be hanged on March 3, at 6 am. This is the third death warrant issued by the court. The two earlier ones could not be carried out as the convicts took it in turns to use every legal option available to them.

Monday's death warrant was issued after the Tihar jail authorities informed the trial court that three of the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh and Akshay Singh -- have exhausted all legal options and none of them have any correspondence pending at the moment.

That still leaves one convict who has not filed a curative petition or mercy plea to the President. But they have also exhausted the one week allowed by the High Court to exercise all their legal option and will need to go to the top court to get an extension.

"I hope this will be the final date for hanging," said the mother of the woman, adding that she was "very happy" with the court's decision.

The woman's parents, who have been carrying out a spirited fight for justice, had filed an appeal in the trial court for a fresh death warrant after the week allowed by the High Court allowed the convicts to explore all legal means came to an end.

After incessant efforts by the convicts to delay the execution, the High Court had said they would get only a week to explore all "legal remedies" after which the family would be free to seek a fresh death warrant from the trial court.

One of the four convicts, Vinay Sharma, has started hunger strike in Delhi's Tihar jail after his petition challenging President Ram Nath Kovind's rejection of his mercy plea was turned down by the Supreme Court last week.

The convict had claimed that the President had not factored in his mental illness following torture in jail. The centre had produced a medical report dated February 12, which showed that he was mentally sound.

The four convicts, along with two others -- one of them a minor -- had gang-raped the young woman and tortured her with an iron rod on the night of December 16, 2012. She died on December 29 at a hospital in Singapore.

One of the assailants, just short of 18 when the crime was committed, was released after spending three years at a reform home. The main accused, Ram Singh, was found hanging in jail.

The brutality of the attack had outraged the nation bringing thousands on the streets in protest, which led to key changes in the law and security system.