Challenging the plea filed by three of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, the Tihar jail authorities on Friday (31 January) said that only one convict’s mercy plea is pending and that the others can be hanged, reports The New Indian Express.

The three convicts - Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar, had filed a plea in a Delhi court seeking a stay on their execution on 1 February.

The prison authorities filing a status report before Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana opposing the application and said only one convict's mercy plea is pending and others can be hanged.

However, the convicts’ lawyer A P Singh disagreed with the jail authorities and said rules dictate that when convict’s plea is pending, the others cannot be hanged.

One of the convict Vinay Kumar Sharma had on Wednesday (29 January) sent a mercy petition to the President Ram Nath Kovind.

"When one convict's plea is pending, others cannot be hanged as per rules," the convicts’ lawyer said.

Singh also requested the court to adjourn the executions of the convicts “sine die” as legal remedies of some of the convicts are yet to be exercised.

The mercy petition of the fourth convict Mukesh Kumar was dismissed by the President on 17 January and an appeal against the rejection was also rejected by the Supreme Court on Wednesday (29 January).

On 17 January, the trial court had issued the black warrants for the second time for the executio of all four convicts in the case in Tihar jail at 6 am on 1 February.

Earlier on 7 January, the court had fixed 22 January as the date for hanging of all the convicts.