A Delhi court has delivered a fresh date to execute the death penalty for Nirbhaya case. The convicts are to be hanged on February 1st, 2020, 6 in the morning.





The President of India, Ram Nath Singh has dismissed convict Mukesh Singh’s mercy plea in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. The Ministry of Home Affairs forwarded the plea to the President that further recommended him to reject it.





Nirbhaya’s parents, who have been fighting for justice for the last 7 years, clearly, this news brings some relief to the duo.





The four rapists, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Singh, Akshay Kumar Singh and Pawan Gupt were to be hanged at Delhi’s Tihar jail on January 22, however, the jail officials informed only 5 days before that the execution cannot take place unless and until the mercy plea is dismissed. Also, according to Indian law, convicts to be executed must have 14 days of reprieve time before their plea is turned down.





Hence, in the meantime, the other three convicts can also exercise their rights to file a mercy petition, i.e. before 1 February, and in each one’s case the 14 day period has to be observed, consequently, prolonging the execution.





Social media platforms, including Twitter exploded with a number of opinions, and of them, a large section of Twitterati favoured the court and the President’s decision.





The Nirbhaya case shook the nation overnight and initiated a movement, back in December 16th, 2012, when a young medical student was brutally tortured, gang-raped, and left to die.





Nirbhaya breathed her last on 29 December, in a Singapore hospital.