Nirbhaya gangrape case: All 4 convicts to be hanged on February 1

New Delhi: In a fresh turn of events, the four convicts of the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case will now be executed at 6 am on February 1.

The fresh death warrants issued by a Delhi court are dated to exactly 14 days from Friday, in accordance with a law that states convicts to be executed must have a reprieve from the time their mercy plea is turned down.

The four convicts — Mukesh Kumar (32), Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) — were to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar Jail. However, this wasn’t possible due to a mercy petition filed by convict Mukesh Singh.

The 23-year-old victim was gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which later led to her death. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused, a minor, appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another committed suicide in Tihar Jail.