New Delhi, Feb 13: The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred hearing to Friday the Centre’s plea seeking separate execution of the four convicts of the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case.

Hearing a plea filed by convict Mukesh, the apex court asked Nirbhaya case convicts to file counter replies by Friday on Centre and Delhi government’s plea.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s verdict that the four convicts have to be hanged together and not separately.

As their fate has been decided by a common order, death warrants of all the convicts be executed together and not separately, the apex court had said earlier.

All the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case are to be executed together and not separately, the Delhi High Court had said last week.

The high court had also set a seven-day dead line for the convicts to avail any remaining remedies. Hours after the high court order was pronounced, the Centre and Delhi government moved the Supreme Court challenging it.