Justice Banumathi faints dictating order on Centre' plea on Nirbhaya case

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice R Banumathi on Friday (February 14) fainted in the courtroom while dictating the order on the Centre' plea seeking separate hanging of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

Justice Banumathi was immediately taken into the chamber by other judges on the dais and the court staff after she fainted during the hearing in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. The bench adjourned the case saying the order will be released later.

Justice A S Bopanna said that the order in the matter will be passed in-chamber. Justice Ashok Bhushan was also part of the three-judge bench hearing the matter. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, "Justice R Banumathi was having high fever and she still has high fever. She is being examined by the doctors in the chamber. She was on medication when she was hearing the case."

Meanwhile, the top court today rejected Nirbhaya convict Vinay Sharma's plea challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by President Ram Nath Kovind. 

Representing Vinay Sharma, advocate AP Singh had submitted that his client was mentally unfit and the concerned documents were not presented before the President. 

Singh also submitted before the top court that Sharma was undergoing psychological problems due to ill-treatment and solitary confinement in jail, which was in violation of the prison norms.