What about our rights: Nirbhaya’s mother breaks down as Delhi court adjourns hearing

The mother of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape-murder victim broke down in a Delhi court after it directed Tihar jail authorities to seek a response from four death row convicts whether they are filing mercy pleas against their executions with the President of India.

Soon after the court issued directions to the Tihar jail authorities, Nirbhaya’s mother started crying. "But what about our rights," Asha Devi asked. "The court has given them [convicts] to time to seek remedy. The court is only looking at their [convicts] rights and not ours. There is no guarantee that a judgment will be given on next date of hearing," Asha Devi told news agency ANI.

Asha Devi, mother of 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim: The court has given them (convicts) to time to seek remedy. Court is only looking at their (convicts) rights and not ours. There is no guarantee that a judgement will be given on next date of hearing. pic.twitter.com/Yk6ZmQRLJH ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2019

Consoling Nirbhaya's crying mother, the judge said, "I have full sympathy with you. I know someone has died but there are their rights too. We are here to listen to you but are also bound by the law".

Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora, who is hearing the plea of Delhi government seeking issuance of death warrants for executing the convicts, said it will wait for the order's copy and adjourned the hearing for January 7, 2020.

As the hearing commenced, the court was informed about SC decision dismissing review plea of Akshay. The court, however, said, "Let order of Supreme Court be officially communicated". The lawyer appearing for Nirbhaya's mother said that there was no impediment in issuing death warrants in the case.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea to review death penalty of Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the four convicts, saying there was no merit in the case.

On July 9 last year, the apex court had dismissed the review pleas filed by the other three convicts -- Mukesh (30), Pawan Gupta (23) and Vinay Sharma (24) -- in the case, saying no grounds have been made out by them for review of the 2017 verdict.

One of the six accused in the case, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail here.

A juvenile, who was among the accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board and was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.

The SC in its 2017 verdict had upheld the capital punishment awarded to them by the Delhi High Court and the trial court in the case.

Also read | Supreme Court rejects Nirbhaya rapist Akshay Kumar Singh's review plea

Also watch | All you need to know about death penalty in India