Nirbhaya Rape Case: 4 convicts to be hanged on Jan 22
An Indian court yesterday ordered the execution on January 22 of four men convicted of the infamous 2012 gang rape and murder of a Delhi university student.
Six people were originally charged with taking part in the brutal attack aboard a city bus, but one was released after a brief detention as a juvenile, while another committed suicide while awaiting trial.
Delhi Court Judge Satish Kumar yesterday issued a warrant ordering the four -- Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- on death row to be executed on January 22 at 7:00 am.
The condemned men still have one avenue of appeal remaining, and they can also petition the Indian president for mercy.
Their 23-year-old victim died from her injuries 13 days after she was raped and assaulted on a moving bus in December 2012.
The victim was dubbed Nirbhaya - the fearless one - by the press, as she could not be named under Indian law.
Her assailants took turns to rape and violate her with a metal rod as the bus drove around the capital, before dumping her and the beaten-up friend in a roadside ditch.
She died of her injuries nearly a fortnight after the attack -- in Singapore, where she had been flown for specialist treatment.
Tens of thousands of Indians took to the streets in protest, and the case led to a major overhaul of laws surrounding sexual assault.
It also spawned an award-winning documentary as well as a Netflix series.
The victim’s mother said she was pleased with the ruling. “This judgement will reinstate women’s faith in the judiciary,” she told journalists. “My daughter will finally get justice.”
Her father described it as a “good decision for the entire country”.
“But our struggle will continue for many other daughters who are in a similar situation across India,” he added.
Indian media reports say Tihar prison, where the four are incarcerated, recently held a dummy execution to test the gallows.
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