‘Big Relief For Family,’ Says Nirbhaya’s Grandfather After Delhi Court’s Order to Hang Convicts on Jan 22

Thanking the judicial system, Nirbhaya's grandfather said that even though the court took seven long years to complete the entire process of the trial, no one can say that the convicts were denied a chance to be heard.

New Delhi: It is a big relief for the family, said Nirbhaya’s grandfather after a Delhi Court on Tuesday served a death warrant against all four accused in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case. The convicts – Pawan Kumar Gupta, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh – will be hanged on January 22, at 7 AM from Jail No 3 at Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

Speaking to news agency PTI in Ballia, their native village bordering Bihar, Nirbhaya’s grandfather said, “Though late, the family has got justice… It is a big relief for the family.”

Thanking the judicial system, he said that even though the court took seven long years to complete the entire process of the trial, no one can say that the convicts were denied a chance to be heard.

Meanwhile, Nirbhaya’s parents also expressed relief following the court’s order and said that they were happy with the decision as it restores the trust in India’s judicial system.

“The convicts will be hanged at 7 am on 22nd January; This decision will instil fear in people who commit such crimes,” said Nirbhaya’s father expressing relief, while her mother Asha Devi said that the execution “will empower the women of the country. This decision will strengthen the trust of people in the judicial system.”

Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedic student, brutally gang-raped and tortured on the intervening night of December 16 and December 17, 2012, inside a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons before finally being dumped on the road. She succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks later on December 29.

Six accused in the case were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. However, one of the convicts, a minor, appeared before the juvenile justice court, while the prime accused in the case, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide inside Tihar Jail.

The four convicts on death row can use their legal remedies within 14 days, said Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora. On the other hand, the convicts’ lawyer said that they will file a curative petition in the Supreme Court in a day or two.