Judge who issued death warrants against Nirbhaya rapists transferred to Supreme Court registry

A Delhi court judge who issued death warrants for all four convicts in Nirbhaya case has been transferred to the Supreme court registry. 

Judge Satish Arora has been appointed as additional registrar in the Supreme Court on a deputation for a year.

Satish Arora had been hearing the petition of parents of Nirbhaya seeking to expedite the process of execution. 

23-year-old paramedic student, called by a section of media as Nirbhaya, was gangraped and brutalised on a moving bus on December 16, 2012 before being dumped on the road. She was airlifted to Singapore where she died on December 29, 2012. 

Six people, including a juvenile, were arrested for the crime. The juvenile was released after serving a three-year term at a juvenile home, one convict allegedly committed suicide in jail while four others - Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) - are set to be hanged on January 22.

Judge Arora had first issued death warrants for all four convicts on January 7, ordering their execution on January 22 at 7 am.

However, one of the convicts - Mukesh Singh - moved the Supreme Court, filed mercy plea and then again moved the High Court against the death warrant, delaying the execution.

After jail Authorities informed the court of Judge Satish Arora that mercy petition was rejected by the President, a fresh death warrant was issued. 

Fresh death warrants have been issued for the execution on February 1 at 6 am.