Overview

• A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N. V. Anjaria set the matter for October 8 and said no adjournments will be granted.
• The Centre seeks to reduce the 14‑day post‑mercy‑rejection notice to seven days and to require executions within seven days of a mercy plea’s rejection.
• Proposals include a seven‑day window to file mercy petitions after a death warrant, time‑limited curative petitions, and no postponement due to co‑convicts’ pending proceedings.
• The government told the Court it is not asking for outer limits on deciding mercy pleas but wants clear timelines to prevent repetitive filings.
• The application, first moved in 2020 after delays in the Nirbhaya case, challenges aspects of the 2014 Shatrughan Chauhan safeguards that recognized delay as a ground for commutation and mandated a 14‑day interval before execution.