New Delhi: Tihar Jail authorities have said that the remaining four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case might be executed soon. The death penalty will be carried out if not challenged before the President within seven days, an IANS report said. A notice has been served to the convicts in this regard.
The Hindu has accessed the text of the notice, which reads: “Jail administration seeks to inform that all the legal proceedings regarding the case against you (convicts) have been completed. However, the only option remaining in your defence is ‘mercy petition’. Hence, the jail administration seeks to inform you that if you have not filed your ‘mercy petition’ before the President, you may do so within seven days of receiving this notice.”
The notice was read out to the convicts in both English and Hindi, and the process was recorded on video. Sandeep Goel, director general of Tihar Jail, told IANS that three of the four convicts are lodged in Tihar jail while the fourth is in Mandoli’s jail number 14.
Also read: The 2012 Delhi Gang Rape: Justice Does Not Stop at the Death Penalty
The mother of the gang-rape victim, has welcomed the move. “I hope that after seven years, my daughter will get justice. It will be the biggest message to people who are involved in crimes against women,” she said.
While IANS has reported that the convicts have not sought a review of their sentence yet, a report in the Hindu has said that the counsel for the convicts, A.P. Singh, has got a call from the Tihar Welfare Department about the development and that he intends to first apply for a mercy plea for convict Akshay Thakur and then for the others.
Six perpetrators were caught and convicted in the high-profile case that caused mass unrest. One of them died by suicide inside the jail, and the juvenile convict in the case was let off after three years. This case also forced the government to enact more stringent laws against sexual violence.