Nirbhaya case: The convicts' hanging was postponed indefinitely by the trial court.
The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday the central and the Delhi government's request for separate hanging of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.
The government had challenged the Delhi High Court verdict dismissing its plea against the stay on the execution of the four men.
The government had wanted notices to be sent to the four convicts. A bench headed by Justice R Bhanumathi did not heed to the government's request, saying it would further delay the matter.
"The nation's patience has been tested enough, the Supreme Court will have to lay down law on this, the government's lawyer Tushar Mehta said.
Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh and Akshay Singh - convicted for the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student, who came to be known as "Nirbhaya" in Delhi in 2012 - were to be executed on February 1 at Tihar Jail.
But a trial court in Delhi postponed the execution indefinitely after a second convict, Vinay Sharma, filed a mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind. As his appeal was turned down, another convict, Akshay Singh, filed his mercy plea.
The centre contends that the convicts were working in tandem, using every possible loophole to delay the execution.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday gave the four convicts a week's time to finish exploring all legal options, after which the trial court will begin proceedings for their execution.
Apart from the four convicted men, two more were accused in the case. Ram Singh was found hanging in his cell and the sixth, who was just short of 18 when the crime was committed, was released after three years in a reform home.