Overview

• A three‑judge bench led by Justice Vikram Nath, with Justices Sandeep Mehta and N. V. Anjaria, dismissed the modification plea as lacking merit.
• The Union sought victim‑centric changes, including strict deadlines for curative filings, mercy petitions within seven days of a death warrant, and executions within seven days of mercy rejection.
• The government also asked to cut the post‑mercy rejection notice from 14 to seven days and to proceed even if co‑convicts still had pending proceedings.
• The 2014 Shatrughan Chauhan ruling treats prolonged mercy delays as grounds for commutation and requires a 14‑day interval before execution.
• Filed in 2020 during delays in the Nirbhaya case, the application followed earlier failed review and curative challenges, and the Court has since ordered dedicated cells to expedite mercy‑petition processing.