Nirbhaya Case: Supreme Court trashes curative pleas of 2 death row convicts

New Delhi : Two out of four convicts in the Nirbhaya case, who had filed their last possible legal appeal against the death sentence, got nothing positive from the Supreme Court.

A five-judge bench headed by justice N V Ramana dismissed petitions filed by Vinay Sharma and Mukesh. A mercy petition before the President is the only option left in front of the convicts who are set to be executed after a week.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had declined hearing on the review petitions against the death sentence from the three convicts. 

In his petition, Vinay Sharma had appealed for an open hearing, to eliminate what he called "systemic and political bias" against him. Execution, he had said, would destroy his entire family. "The petitioner's father earns a meagre living. The family has no savings and live in the RK Puram Harijan Basti," the petition read.

His advocate AP Singh has said that they will be filing the review petition before the President. "We will file a mercy petition with the President. We will file it with all hope and faith," he said.

The main accused in the case, identified as Ram Singh, was found hanging inside the cell in March 2013. The sixth, who was just short of 18 when the crime was committed, was released after three years at a reform home.

On December 16, 2012, a woman and his friend were attacked by a group of men inside a bus; the victim man was thrown out of the moving bus, while the girl was brutally raped and murdered.

The case made headlines across the world and as a shocked nation hit the streets demanding justice, led to a host of changes in legal and security system.

"This is a big day for me. I had been struggling for the last 7 years. But the biggest day will be 22nd January when they (convicts) will be hanged.," said the woman's mother, who has been continuing the fight for justice.