Nirbhaya convict's lawyer gets Bar Council notice over 'forged' documents
The Bar Council of Delhi on Saturday issued a notice to the lawyer appearing for a convict in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case. Advocate AP Singh was given a notice for filing "forged" documents and not appearing in court. Singh is representing convict Pawan Kumar Gupta (25), who claims that he was a juvenile at the time of committing the crime.
The Bar Council of Delhi issued the notice to Singh after it had been asked to take action against the lawyer in a Delhi High Court order. The Bar Council said, "It is unanimously decided to issue notice to AP Singh, advocate, for February 28. He is directed to file his reply within two weeks from the date of receipt of the notice."
On December 19, the Delhi High Court had directed the Bar Council to take action against the lawyer for filing a "forged" affidavit in court regarding Gupta's age. The court was hearing Gupta's plea claiming he was a juvenile at the time of the offense.
At 10:30 am on December 19, Singh appeared in court, seeking adjournment on the pretext of filing documents. He was then notified to appear at 2:30 pm, however, he didn't "bother" to show up, the court's order observed. The court directed Singh to deposit Rs. 25,000 for playing "hide and seek." The court also asked the Bar Council to take action against Singh.
Meanwhile, Gupta has moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's order. The matter has been listed for hearing on January 20. Earlier this week, a Delhi court also issued a fresh death warrant against Gupta and the three other convicts: Vinay Sharma (26) Mukesh Kumar (32) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31). They are to be hanged on February 1 at 6 am.
The four convicts, and two others, raped a 23-year-old student (dubbed "Nirbhaya") on a moving bus on December 16, 2012. The convicts penetrated her with iron rods, inflicting grave injuries, and the victim died two weeks later during treatment. The fifth accused, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in prison in 2013. The sixth accused—a juvenile—was sent to a reformation home and was later released.
The four were sentenced to death by a Delhi court in 2013. However, the execution has since been delayed due to review, curative and mercy petitions. Previously, a death warrant scheduled their hanging for January 22. Convict Mukesh then appealed President Ram Nath Kovind for mercy. Although the President denied the plea, the hanging had to be postponed due to a 14-day reprieval period.
