Ghaziabad, Sep 8 (IANS): The Ghaziabad SSP's office Monday morning received a fax from the Supreme Court, ordering stay on the execution of Nithari killings convict Surendra Koli. The message was received by the Meerut jail barely hours before his hanging.

The apex court sent a fax message to the SSP's office at 3.45 a.m. to be forwarded to the concerned authority at Meerut jail to stay the execution of Koli's death warrant.

Meerut jail Superintendent S.M. Rizvi confirmed receiving the stay order at 4.30 a.m. The Ghaziabad SSP's office sent the message to Meerut jail official R.K. Verma, who reached the superintendent's residence, and was handed over the stay order copy at 4.30 a.m.

Chief justice designate H.L. Dattu passed the order on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday, staying Koli's execution by one week on his appeal. Koli was represented by senior counsel Indira Jaising.

Koli was to be executed Monday morning at Meerut jail.

The jail authorities barricaded the jail area at 2.00 a.m. to stop any intervention from outside the main gate as Koli was about to be hanged.

Earlier, Koli's counsel filed a petition before the apex court, requesting it to stay his execution till the fate of co-accused Moninder Singh Pandher is decided in all the pending cases.

"If Koli is hanged, justice would not be delivered to the victims of the Nithari killings since the process would be jeopardised in the absence of co-accused Koli," the petition said.