Tihar jail officials announced on Tuesday that one of the four convicts in the December 12 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case has been shifted to the prison from another institution.
Sandeep Goel, DG (Prisons), said Pawan Kumar Gupta, who had been lodged at the Mandoli jail, was shifted to Tihar jail "recently". With Gupta's arrival, all four of the Nirbhaya case convicts are now at Tihar. The announcement has increased speculation that the steps to carry out their death sentences are continuing.
While Gupta is lodged in jail no 2 with Mukesh Singh and Akshay Kumar Singh, Vinay Sharma is in jail no 4 of Tihar. A Tihar jail official told The Hindu all four "have been given round-the-clock security" and were housed in separate cells.
Maintenance work
A Tihar jail official told The Hindu that maintenance of the prison's 'phansi kothi', the designated area for carrying out hangings, has started. Prisoners are moved there after the rejection of their mercy petitions.
NDTV reported on Tuesday that a "dummy" execution had been carried out to test the gallows.
also read
- ‘12 years after Nirbhaya, out on streets to save accused’: Swati Maliwal slams AAP’s protest
- Woman kidnapped, gang-raped in Ghaziabad, DCW seeks strict action
- Nirbhaya-style horror in UP: Woman gang-raped, killed; FIR against temple priest
- Nirbhaya's father launches petition asking men not to be silent spectators
- Devil's advocate: How A.P. Singh made every effort to save Nirbhaya convicts
On Monday, it was reported that a jail in Buxar, Bihar, had been directed to ready 10 pieces of rope by the weekend, triggering speculation that it was meant for the Nirbhaya case convicts. The jail in Buxar has had a tradition of supplying rope for hangings.
Review plea
Akshay Kumar Singh on Tuesday filed a review plea in the Supreme Court, seeking a review of its 2017 judgment confirming his death sentence. The Supreme Court had in July 2018 dismissed the review pleas filed by the other three convicts.
Vinay Sharma had sought withdrawal of his mercy plea to President Ram Nath Kovind last week, saying it had been sent without his consent. The others have yet to file mercy pleas.