Thread by @legaljournalist

2012 Delhi gang rape: Petition in SC by one of the accused Mukesh challenging rejection of his mercy plea by President Ram Nath Kovind will be heard shortly by a 3-judge bench. @htTweets

#DelhiGangRape: Bench assembles, hearing commences.

#DelhiGangRape2012: Arguments being made by Sr Counsel Anjana Prakash on scope of powers or President to commute death sentence to life imprisonment under Article 72 of Constitution. She submits that the manner in which the power is exercised can be subject to judicial review.

#DelhiGangRape2012: Execution of sentence should also be as per Constitutional principles, Mukesh tells Supreme Court.

#DelhiGangRape2012: Mukesh's counsel argues that records relating to Mukesh's conviction were not placed before President when he was considering the mercy plea.

#DelhiGangRape2012: Mukesh argues that records relating to his case were not placed before the President when he was considering Mukesh's mercy plea.

#DelhiGangRape: Bench assembles, hearing resumes.

#DelhiGangRape: Mukesh says he was sexually abused repeatedly in jail.

#DelhiGangRape: His brother Ram Singh who was the prime accused was murdered in jail, says Mukesh.

#DelhiGangRape: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta begins submissions for state.

#DelhiGangRape: The President was not sitting in appeal over the judicial decision of courts, submits Mehta.

#DelhiGangRape: Allegations of sexual abuse in jail assuming it to be true cannot be a ground for grant of mercy by President, submits Tushar Mehta.

#DelhiGangRape: Mukesh was never kept in solitary confinement. Every convict is sometime kept in a separate cell. That is not solitary confinement. Solitary confinement means completely cut off from the world, says Mehta.

#DelhiGangRape: Even during times when he was kept in a separate single cell, he was allowed to come out to the yard during scheduled hours just like any other convict, says Mehta.

#DelhiGangRape: The quick decision taken by President is because delay in deciding mercy plea has a dehumanising effect on convict as held by Supreme Court, says Tushar Mehta.

#DelhiGangRape: Mukesh's counsel takes objection to affidavit filed by Joint Secretary of Home Ministry, says it is evasive does not give details about the records which were transmitted to President.

#DelhiGangRape: Senior counsel Anjana Prakash raises strong objection that the state submitted on affidavit before SC that Mukesh was not kept in solitary confinement but those facts were not transmitted to the President.

#DelhiGangRape: Anjana Prakash submits that solitary confinement was a ground for commutation in Shatrughan Chauhan and Dharam Pal.

#DelhiGangRape: Supreme Court reserves order in plea by Mukesh challenging rejection of mercy plea by President, will pronounce its verdict tomorrow. @htTweets