Bengaluru: In another evident endeavour to delay their hanging, Nirbhaya convicts have come up with another subterfuge. 

One of the convicts Mukesh Singh has approached the top court, informing it that the amicus curiae Vrinda Grover “forced” him to sign on his mercy and curative petitions, as reported by India Today. 

The website further quotes that the amicus curiae informed him that under court orders, he had to file a curative petition within seven days of the issue of a death warrant on January 7.

In a plea filed through Advocate ML Sharma, Mukesh Singh claims the limitation period to file a curative petition was three years from the date of dismissal of the review plea.

His review petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court in July 2018.

Mukesh Singh is now asking the court to "restore" the rights available to him, and allow him to file curative and mercy petitions till July 2021, the website noted.

It is to be noted that Mukesh's family earlier removed him as his lawyer but reinstated him on Thursday, when he appeared before the Patiala House Court with a vakalatnama.

During Supreme Court proceedings on Thursday, the website adds that Sharma raised the argument against Vrinda Grover, but was warned by the court to "not make disparaging remarks" against her.

A Delhi court, for the fourth time had issued a fresh death warrant, on Thursday. The fresh death date is March 20 at 5: 30 am. 

In fact, Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi, urged the Supreme Court to frame guidelines in dealing with such rape cases. 

She added, “If SC issues guidelines to try rape cases, it would help families of victims get timely justice, and reinforce their faith in the judicial system.”

The mother also displayed perseverance in taking on the fight further.

She said, "Their effort is to make sure that death warrant is not issued and delay the date of hanging. Everything has an end. Until and unless they are hanged, we are prepared to fight at any moment.

I will consider that I have won on the day they are hanged."

Her daughter Nirbhaya was gangraped by six men on a moving bus in Delhi way back in 2012. Of the six men, one man was let off after he served his sentence in a juvenile home as he was a minor at the time of committing the offence.

Of the remaining five, one committed suicide while the remaining four were tried as per law.