The last hope of the Nirbhaya case convict in getting acquitted has been darkened and diminished as President Ram Nath Kovind has, on Friday, rejected the mercy petition filed by Mukesh Singh, one of the four Nirbhaya case convicts and they are likely to step on the gallows as scheduled on January 22nd as their legal options have been exhausted.

It has been reported that the President has rejected the mercy plea based on the recommendation tabled by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The Home Ministry has forwarded the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh to the President by marking its recommendation to reject the plea with accord to the endorsement of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, who sent the petition to the Union Home Ministry after the Delhi government has rejected it on Wednesday.

The rejection of the mercy plea has come days after the Delhi government has told the High court the death penalty of the four convicts has to be postponed by citing the pending mercy plea filed by Mukesh Singh and now it has been rejected. The reports have revealed that all the four convicts were shifted to jail number three in the Tihar prison complex on Thursday where they will be executed.

The reports have stated that all the convicts have been allowed to their family in the prison complex twice before getting executed and on Tuesday, Vinay Sharma, who has filed a curative petition in the Supreme court, was visited by his father while Mukesh Singh's mother met him in the prison and on the same day, the Supreme court bench headed by Justice Ramana had dismissed the curative petition by underlining that there was no merit to consider the pleas and the rejection from the judicial grounds had closed the gates for the convicts with no legal options.

On January 7th, the Delhi High court had issued a death warrant against the four convicts and they have been scheduled to be hanged at 7 am on January 22nd in Tihar Jail and the reports have stated that Pawan Jallad from Meerut will be carrying out the hanging. He will be stationing in Tihar Jail on January 20th and he will be given with Rs 15,000 per execution.

Also read: Justice for Nirbhaya: One of the convicts had filed a curative petition!