NEW DELHI: Tihar jail administration officials opposed the plea filed by three convicts in the Nirbhaya case, seeking a stay of their execution on February 1. The jail authorities opposed the plea in their status report filed before Delhi Patiala House Court.

They told the court that since only one convict's mercy plea is pending, the others can be hanged. Public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, representing the jail authorities, submitted that all convicts except Vinay Kumar Sharma have no pending plea in any forum and can be hanged on February 1.

Meanwhile, Advocate A P Singh, representing three death row convicts - Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma, and Akshay Kumar - told the court, "When one convict's plea is pending, rules dictate that others cannot be hanged." He urged the court to adjourn the executions "sine die" as legal remedies of some of the convicts are yet to be availed.

The trial court on January 17 issued black warrants for the second time for the execution of all the four convicts in the case -- Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Thakur (31) -- in Tihar jail at 6 am on February 1.