Delay in hanging shows failure of system: Nirbhaya’s mother

‘I lose hope every day but I stand tall every day’

03/03/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA ,NEW DELHI

Resolute face: Nirbhaya's mother speaking to the media in Delhi on Monday. Sushil Kumar Verma

Delhi gangrape victim Nirbhaya’s mother on Monday said no matter what the convicts did, they would be hanged for their crime, after a Delhi court deferred the execution of the death penalty in the case till further orders.

“This shows the failure of our system. The whole world is watching how justice is being delayed in India,” she told reporters.

It is the third time that the hanging of the four convicts has been deferred.

Nirbhaya’s mother said she “loses hope every day” but the convicts will be hanged no matter what they do.

“I lose hope every day but I stand tall every day. They would have to be hanged. There could not have been a worse case than Nirbhaya but still I am struggling to get justice. The courts are sitting and watching the drama,” she added.

Prision preparation

Delhi’s Tihar Jail authorities had made all necessary preparations for the hanging of the four convicts, officials said on Monday.

“We had made all the necessary arrangements for the execution of the four convicts which was scheduled for Tuesday at 6 a.m. Now, the execution has been postponed and we are waiting for the further order by the court,” a senior jail official said.

“We had checked the ropes. The hangman was called and dummy executions were carried out,” another senior jail official said.

Barring Pawan Gupta, the other three — Mukesh Kumar Singh, 32, Vinay Kumar Sharma, 26, Akshay Kumar Singh, 31, had in the previous weeks moved curative petitions and mercy pleas, all of which were dismissed.

The first date of execution — January 22 — fixed on January 7, was postponed by the court to February 1. But on January 31, the court indefinitely postponed the hanging. On February 17, the court again issued a fresh date for execution of death warrants for March 3.

However, the Delhi government on Monday recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta.

Sources said that the Delhi government made the recommendation just a few minutes after it received the mercy petition from the Union Home Ministry. “The Delhi government has recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta. The file has now been sent to Lt Governor Anil Baijal for his recommendation,” a source said.