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NEW DELHI: After the Union home ministry recommending rejection of the mercy petition of Nirbhaya gang-rape convict Vinay Sharma, he has sought its withdrawal, claiming it was sent without any authorisation.

His lawyer A P Singh, in his plea to the President, has claimed that the petition was a conspiracy against Sharma. However, the Tihar authorities said, “It was the accused who had submitted the petition to us earlier.” Sharma had “submitted the petition himself and his thumbprint is also on it”, said a senior Tihar Jail official.

Singh told TOI, “I went to meet Sharma on Thursday but was allowed only on Friday in jail number 4. As he doesn’t have access to television or newspapers, he was informed by other inmates about his mercy petition being rejected by Delhi government. He also wrote a letter, which I have attached with the current plea.”

“I had not signed any mercy petition and the authorities can conduct a handwriting analysis as well. I am on hunger strike for the last three days because of this,” Sharma’s letter stated. The convict also said he wanted the judicial process to be completed soon. “I am not a terrorist but an educated citizen of the country. I have also been rewarded by the jail authorities for my conduct and earned thousands of rupees by making paintings in the jail. Due to my family’s financial condition, I have not been able to file the curative petition,” Sharma wrote.

Singh said he would file the curative petition for Sharma and a review petition for another convict, Akshay, in two-three days.

In the plea to the President, Singh claimed the mercy petition was sent without any legal representative/consent and was not signed by Sharma. “The petition was sent with a malafide intention...without any ground and supporting documents,” he claimed.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

