The Delhi government on Monday recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case.

Sources said that the Delhi government made the recommendation just a few minutes after it received the mercy petition from the Union home ministry.

'The Delhi government has recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta. The file has now been sent to lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal for his recommendation,' a source told PTI.

Earlier in the day, the Union home ministry received the mercy petition of Pawan (25), officials said on Monday.

The ministry will forward the petition to President Ram Nath Kovind for his consideration and decision.

A Delhi court on Monday deferred till further order the hanging of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder case.

Hanging of the four convicts was scheduled for Tuesday at 6am.

Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana said the death sentence cannot be executed pending disposal of mercy petition of convict Pawan.

The court passed the order on Pawan's plea seeking to stay the execution as he has filed a mercy petition before the President on Monday.