New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with Tihar Jail authorities on Saturday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order putting a stay on the death warrants issued against the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

The MHA plea states that the said four convicts by filing their respective review petition or curative or mercy petition one after the other and that too at such a belated stage—that is after the issuance of the death warrants—are in fact being permitted to play with the majesty of law leading to unnecessarily prolonging the execution and thereby taking the judicial process for a ride. "Convicts have deliberately chosen to file their review/curative/mercy petition at a much belated stage beyond the statutory period available to them with the sole objective to delay the execution of the death warrants," the plea said.