Advocate Seema Kushwaha, representing Nirbhaya's parents, on Tuesday sought answer from the AAP-led Delhi government on why Nirbhaya's rapists have not been executed till now.
"The mercy petition was filed by one of the convicts on November 4 but for one month Delhi government did not take any action. State government must answer why the case got delayed," Kushwaha told ANI.
The counsel's comments came after the city government recommended the rejection of Vinay Sharma's mercy petition in the case pertaining to gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student on December 16 2012. He is one of the convicts facing the gallows.
"There is no merit in mercy petition, strongly recommended for rejection," Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain had stated in recommendation sent to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
Slamming the move, Kushwaha said that the recommendations given by Satyendar Jain "are not part of the judicial process". "His only task was to forward the mercy petition given by the convict".
She added, "After Delhi High Court confirmed the death sentence of the rapists, rejected their appeal, the matter remained in the Supreme Court for two years. Where was the state government then? It got delayed and until now Nirbhaya has not been imparted justice."
Kushwaha said that if the government had taken "time-bound action", gruesome rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Telangana could have been avoided.
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Mercy Petition lies in saving an innocent person from being punished due to miscarriage of justice or in cases of doubtful conviction.
Besides Vinay, other convicts -- Akshay has not filed a review petition while Mukesh and Pawan are yet to file curative petitions.