Hanging Nirbhaya convicts: BJP, AAP blamegame continues over 'delay' as court issues fresh date

Earlier in the day, a Delhi court had issued a fresh death warrant against the four Nirbhaya rape case convicts who will now be executed on February 1 at 6 am. They were earlier to be hanged on February 22 at 7 am.

New Delhi: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday (January 17) attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led the Delhi government over the delay in commuting the death sentence to the four convicts of Nirbhaya gang-rape case. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, however, said that politics should not be done on the matter and both the Centre and the state should work together to get the rapists hanged soon.

In a video posted on his official Twitter handle, Kejriwal said, "The execution of the culprits in the Nirbhaya case has been postponed for some days. People of the country are pained by this. We all want the culprits to be handed at the earliest. I am also pained that on such sensitive matter, politics is being done."

The Delhi CM further said, "I heard Prakash Javadekar`s comments a few days back. He said because of AAP there has been a delay. Today, I heard Smriti Irani`s statement, she also said that there has been a delay because of AAP." 

"I want to ask them, whether the convicts in the Nirbhaya case will be executed early by abusing AAP? Nothing will happen by abusing each other. The need of the hour is that we all, Delhi government and Centre, together ensure that the culprits be hanged at the earliest. This is our duty towards the nation, society, women in the country and Nirbhaya`s parents... We should ensure that they (convicts) should not use the fault in the system," Kejriwal added. 

In a press conference in the day, Irani asked the AAP government, "Why was the prison department, which comes under the AAP government, sleeping after the dismissal of review petition in July 2018? Why did the government give Rs 10,000 and a sewing kit to juvenile rapist when he was released? Did not they see tears of Nirbhaya`s mother?" 

Earlier in the day, a Delhi court had issued a fresh death warrant against the four Nirbhaya rape case convicts who will now be executed on February 1 at 6 am. They were earlier to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am.

The fresh order came after the public prosecutor representing the Tihar jail authorities requested the court to issue fresh date and time of execution. Four convicts, Vinay, Akshay, Pawan and Mukesh were convicted and sentenced to death for raping the 23-year-old victim in a moving bus in the national capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012.

Meanwhile, Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra today dismissed reports of Nirbhaya`s mother Asha Devi contesting the coming assembly election on the party ticket, but said she is welcome if she wants to join them.

Chopra told ANI, "I saw a media report that Asha Devi might contest against Arvind Kejriwal on the Congress ticket. There is nothing of that sort. However, she is welcome if she wants to join us."

Chopra's reaction came after Asha Devi put an end to the speculation of her joining the Congress party for the coming Delhi assembly elections, saying that she was "not interested" in politics.

When asked about media reports of her joining the Congress, Asha Devi told media persons: "I have no interest in such things. I was fighting to get justice for my daughter and the daughters of the country. I want the execution of the four convicts."

Reports of her political debut came to fore after sportsperson-turned-politician Kirti Azad shared a Tweet, which claimed that Asha Devi might contest the Delhi assembly elections against Chief Minister Kejriwal on the Congress ticket.

(With Agency Inputs)