The Sessions judge who recently issued death warrants against the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case has been transferred.

Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora has been transferred to the Supreme Court as an Additional Registrar on deputation basis for one year, said a letter sent by Registrar General, Delhi High Court, to the District Judge, Patiala House Courts.

Before his transfer, Arora was hearing the Nirbhaya rape case and other cases, including those lodged by the special cell of Delhi Police.

The case is likely to be assigned to new judge soon who will be entitled to entertain any plea related to the Nirbhaya case in the trial courts. The letter dated January 20 has sought to relieve Arora immediately.

"I am directed to say that the chief justice (of Delhi High Court) has been pleased to appoint Satish Kumar Arora, an officer of higher judicial service, as Additional Registrar, Supreme Court of India on deputation basis, initially for a period of one year.

"I, therefore, request you to kindly relieve immediately Satish Kumar Arora, so as to enable him to join his new assignment," joint registrar, Anil Kumar Arora, said in a letter on behalf of Registrar General of the Delhi high court.

As per the last order passed by the court, the hanging of all the four convicts — Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31), Mukesh Kumar Singh (32) and Pawan (25) —is to take place on February 1 at 6 am.

A 23-year-old paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, in a moving bus in south Delhi by six people before she was thrown out on the road.