Nirbhaya gangrape case: Supreme Court rejects curative plea of convict Akshay

Nixing the plea, the five-judge constitution bench, comprising Justices N V Ramana, Arun Kumar Mishra, R F Nariman, R Bhanumathi and Ashok Bhushan, said no case was made out in the curative petition.

The plea was filed late Tuesday night by advocate A P Singh.

He now has the option to move a mercy plea before President Ram Nath Kovind.

Another convict Pawan is yet to file a curative plea. 

Earlier in the day, Akshay Singh, one of the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case, on Thursday moved the Patiala House Court seeking a stay on their execution scheduled to take place on Feb 1.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the petition filed by other convict Mukesh Singh against President Ram Nath Kovind's mercy plea rejection.

The top court said it does not think the President didn't use his mind in rejecting the mercy plea.

Also the Supreme Court said sufferings in prison can't be the ground for a convict's mercy.

On Dec 16, 2012, Nirbhaya, who was a 23-year female physiotherapy intern, was gang-raped, assaulted and tortured at a private bus in Delhi when she was travelling with her friend.

She was raped by six people including the driver of the bus.

The victim had succumbed to her injuries 13 days after the horrific crime was committed.

The incident had sparked national and international outrage. Both the state and central government were brought under the scanner for not providing adequate protection to women in the national capital.