The Supreme Court Thursday said it will examine whether convicts in a common crime can be executed separately.

Expressing concern over the likelihood of death sentence convicts taking advantage of the legal process to delay their execution, the Supreme Court Thursday said it will examine whether convicts in a common crime can be executed separately.

A bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna fixed March 23 to hear the petition filed by the Centre and NCT government challenging a Delhi High Court ruling dismissing the petition which sought permission to execute the convicts in the December 16, 2012, gangrape and murder case separately.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said two convicts, Mukesh and Vinay, exhausted their legal remedies and urged the court to permit their execution.