President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday rejected the mercy plea of Mukesh Singh, one of the four men convicted in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, sources said.

The rejection came soon after the Union home ministry forwarded the petition to the President on Friday morning.

Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, had filed the mercy petition a few days ago.

'The home ministry has forwarded the mercy petition of Mukesh Singh to the President. The ministry has reiterated the recommendation of the lieutenant governor of Delhi for its rejection,' the official said.

Delhi LG Anil Baijal had sent the mercy petition of Mukesh to the home ministry on Thursday, a day after the Delhi government recommended its rejection.

'The home ministry has received the mercy petition from the LG recommending its rejection. The petition is being examined and an appropriate decision will be taken soon,' a home ministry official said.

The Delhi government had Wednesday recommended rejection of the mercy plea filed by Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 gangrape and murder case, and forwarded it to the LG at 'lightning speed'.

It had also informed the high court during a hearing that execution of the convicts will not take place on January 22 as a mercy plea has been filed by Singh.

The four convicts -- Singh (32) Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) -- were to be hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail. A Delhi court had issued their death warrants on January 7.