A 3-judge bench headed by Justice R Banumathi said there are no grounds to review the verdict
The plea claims that the recommendation sent to the President to reject the mercy plea did not contain the signature of Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain.
Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi said even the court understands that the convicts are filing pleas one after the other just to delay the hanging.
A Delhi court on Saturday dismissed an application filed by Vinay Sharma, one of the four death row convicts in Nirbhaya gang-rape case, seeking specialised medical treatment for claimed insanity. The court observed that general anxiety and depression are obvious for those on death row.
As the last-ditch attempt, Mukesh through his counsel on Tuesday sought an urgent hearing on his plea against dismissal of the mercy plea before the top court.
However, hours after the high court order was pronounced, Akshay's mercy plea was rejected by the President on Wednesday evening. The mercy pleas of Mukesh and Vinay have already been rejected. Pawan is yet to seek that relief.
What is perhaps more worrisome is that while the conviction rate in rape cases has increased marginally in recent years, the chargesheeting rate has gone down -- which means cases are not going to court.
Singh had moved the mercy plea after the Supreme Court dismissed his curative petition against his conviction and death sentence. The apex court had also rejected the curative petition of another death row convict Akshay Kumar, 31.
The MHA's plea sought a direction from the top court in fixing the deadline for filing of curative pleas after the rejection of review petitions. The MHA submitted that the top court should 'mandate all the competent courts, state governments, prison authorities in the country to issue death warrant of a convict within seven days of the rejection of his mercy petition.
Here is the chronology of events in the Nirbhaya case.
The petition sought recording of calls, documents and reports by an investigating agency like CBI and to declare that the convict has legal and constitutional rights to approach any court at any time even in the last minute of hanging.
The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Monday the plea of Mukesh, who has also sought quashing of all orders passed by courts and the rejection of his mercy petition by the President since the day his curative petition was dismissed by the apex court.
The Centre and the Delhi government challenged the trial court's January 31 order staying 'till further orders' the execution of all the four convicts in the case. The parents of the victim urged the court to expeditiously decide the Centre's plea and were assured by the judge that the order would be passed at the earliest.
The four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case spent a restless and sleepless night. They were asked to take a bath but none of them did. All of them were served their last meal but one of them refused breakfast before being taken to the gallows, an official said.
Hours after the clemency plea of Vinay Kumar Sharma, 26, was dismissed by the President, Akshay Thakur, 31, a third death row convict, filed a mercy petition.
Sources said if the mercy petition is not filed, the prison authorities approach the court, which will issue a death warrant.
Nirbhaya's parents and the Delhi government had moved the court on Tuesday seeking fresh death warrants for the four convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts.
Shraddha's father also demanded the case be fast-tracked and Poonawala hanged.
A Delhi court on Friday issued fresh death warrants for February 1, 6 am against the four convicts. Earlier in the day, President Ram Nath Kovind had rejected Mukesh's mercy plea.
A five-judge Bench of Justices NV Ramana, Arun Mishra, RF Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan heard the petition filed by Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh. The duo had moved a curative petition in the top court after a Delhi court issued death warrants in their names for their hanging on January 22.
This is the fourth death warrant issued for the execution of the convicts in the matter.
The judge passed the order on the plea by the convicts seeking adjournment of the executions 'sine die'. The four were scheduled to be hanged on February 1 at 6 am. This is for the second time that the execution of the death warrants has been deferred.
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Her protests come right after the trial court offered Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the case, saying a condemned convict is entitled to legal aide till his last breath.
The date of execution, first fixed for January 22, was postponed for 6 am on February 1 by a January 17 court order.
The four death row convicts are Mukesh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh and Pawan Gupta.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said the death sentence cannot be executed pending disposal of mercy petition of convict Pawan Kumar Gupta.
In the circular, which was made public on Friday, it is mentioned that in a matter wherein the high court has confirmed/ upheld death penalty and this court has granted leave (admission of case), the criminal appeals will be listed for hearing not later than six months before the the three-judges bench from the date of grant of leave, irrespective of the fact that appeal is ready or not.
'When rape and molestation are supported by the family, it can no longer be considered merely a criminal act.' 'What kind of morality makes rape a family act?' asks Sankrant Sanu.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana on Thursday refused to grant any relief to Akshay Kumar, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh and rejected the petition saying no valid ground has been brought to his notice to justify the stay of execution of death warrants scheduled on March 20 at 5:30 am.
"January 22 will be a big day for us," Nirbhaya's mother said.
The high court also faulted the authorities concerned for not taking steps for issuance of death warrant after the rejection of appeals of the accused by the Supreme Court in 2017.
Women activists say "nothing much has changed" when it comes to safety of women in the national capital since the tragic December 16 gang-rape case three years ago which shook the nation and led to a massive public outcry forcing Parliament to enact a new anti-rape law.
The fourth convict, Pawan Gupta, has not filed a curative petition, which he still can if he chooses.
The family members of the convicts, on the hand, held placards stating that "five people cannot be hanged for the death of one person".
The petition has been filed by convict Mukesh Kumar whose mercy plea was dismissed by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 17.
Some people distributed sweets after the convicts were hanged.
Parents of the December 16 gang rape victim participated in a candlelight march at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding justice for their daughter.
Six states and UTs -- Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura and Daman & Diu -- have not spent a single rupee from the fund allocated by the Centre, according to data shared by the minister in Parliament in response to a question.
The top court rejected the contention of Sharma that he is mentally ill and said his medical report suggests he is stable.
