SC defers hearing on plea over separate hangings

TNN | 6 March 2020 | New Delhi: In view of the fresh warrant issued by a trial court to execute the death sentence of Nirbhaya case convicts on March 20, the Supreme Court on Thursday deferred hearing on the Centre’s plea to allow separate execution where there are more than one death row convict. The court posted the matter for March 23.

A bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna said it would examine whether separate execution could be allowed in cases where more than one person was convicted and awarded death sentence. It rejected the plea of Nirbhaya case convicts to grant them a hearing before March 20.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Delhi government, said the Nirbhaya case convicts had taken the judicial system for a ride and separate execution of sentence should be allowed.

“There is no anxiety on our part to hang somebody. Nobody likes this. Our anxiety is that credibility of the system is at stake,” Mehta said. He added that there may be a case tomorrow in which 10 or 20 people are convicted and they may again delay execution by moving separate forums at different times.

Mehta said there was no statutory provision, which said convicts had to be executed simultaneously. He urged the court to direct the Nirbhaya case convicts to file whatsoever they wanted in court before March 20. The bench did not pass any order on the issue and adjourned the case.