SC upholds death for 2012 Delhi gangrape convicts
09 Jul 2018
The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to the convicts in the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student on 16 December 2012, giving hope of justice being done to the victim six years later.
The apex court had in its May 2017 verdict upheld the capital punishment awarded by Delhi High Court and the trial court. Three of the convicts pleaded against the sentence saying, "death penalty is cold-blooded killing in the name of justice."
An SC bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan rejected the pleas of three of the four convicts Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22) and Vinay Sharma (23).
The condemned prisoners are now left with the option of filing a curative plea in the SC and a mercy plea before the President to prevent death.
Nirbhaya was gang-raped on the intervening night of 16-17 December 2012 inside a running bus in South Delhi by six persons and severely assaulted before being thrown out on the road. She succumbed to her injuries on 29 December 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.
"This decision reaffirms our trust in the court that we will definitely get justice," said Asha Devi, mother of the 2012 Delhi gang rape victim on the SC's dismissal of the accused's review petition.
Nirbhaya's parents now want to see further action as soon as possible. "We knew that review petition will be dismissed. But what next? So much time has gone by and threat to women have gone up in this span. I believe sooner they're hanged, better it is," said Nirbhaya's father Badrinath Singh.