President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy petition filed by one of the four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape case.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday forwarded the mercy petition to the President and recommended rejection of the plea.
Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, had filed the petition a few days ago.
The Delhi LG had sent the mercy petition of Mukesh to the Home Ministry on Thursday, a day after the Delhi government recommended its rejection.
"It's a very good thing. Our hopes have gone up after the disheartening news that the execution might be delayed," the young woman's father told PTI.
The four convicts -- Mukesh Singh (32), Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) were to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar Jail. A Delhi court had issued their death warrants on January 7.
However, the Delhi government had informed the high court during a hearing that execution of the convicts will not take place on January 22 as a mercy plea has been filed by Mukesh.
Further, Standing Counsel for Tihar Jail authorities, Advocate Rahul Mehra, has said that the execution of convicts in the 2012 gang-rape case will not take place on January 22.
"It can only take place 14 days after the mercy plea is rejected as we are bound by the rule which says that a notice of 14 days must be provided to the convicts after the rejection of mercy plea," he said.
The 23-year-old paramedic student had died after being raped and brutally assaulted by six men in the national capital in December 2012. Amid the six, one was released as he was a juvenile, and another committed suicide in prison.
