Nirbhaya case: Delhi court issues fresh death warrant, convicts to be hanged on February 1  

A Delhi Court on Friday issued a fresh death warrant for the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape case and set a new date for their execution. 

The convicts will now be hanged to death on February 1 at 6 am. The convicts were previously supposed to face the gallows on January 22 as per the previous order. 

This comes shortly after President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy petition of the 2012 Delhi gangrape case convict Mukesh Singh.

Ministry of Home Affairs had sent Singh's mercy petition to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday night, sources said.

The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed curative petitions of the two convicts - Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh - who had appealed the death sentence.

On Wednesday, Delhi High Court refused to set aside the trial court order which issued a death warrant to Nirbhaya case convicts.

The court asked convict Mukesh's counsel to approach the trial court and apprise the court about the pending mercy plea.

The government in its argument had said they cannot be hanged on January 22 since mercy petition filed by Mukesh Singh was pending and that it was bound by law to wait before moving ahead with the death warrant. 

"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," advocate Rahul Mehra appearing for Tihar Jail authorities, said.

He further stated that the fate of a death convict comes to finality only after his mercy plea is rejected by the President.