Nirbhaya gangrape case: Brutal, barbaric, diabolic – what the Supreme Court judges said in their verdict

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death penalty awarded to the four convicts - Akshay, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh - in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case.

Written by: Pragati Ratti Sharma

Updated: May 5, 2017, 3:27 PM IST

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New Delhi, May 5: The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death penalty awarded to the four convicts – Akshay, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh – in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape case. The four convicts had challenged the Delhi High Court order which had sentenced them to death. The trial court had also sentenced them to death. There was an applause in the courtroom as the apex court judges read out the verdict upholding death to the rapists and murderers of Nirbhaya.

Two judges pronounced separate judgements on the case. Justice Deepak Mishra, reading out his judgement, said that modern and progressive methods of investigation were taken up for probe into the case. He said that the evidence was relied on, the CCTV footage was reliable. He also said that the declaration by the dying victim was beyond doubt. He said that criminal conspiracy in the case was established. Justice Mishra used terms like brutal, barbaric, diabolic and sadistic pleasures for the crime in his judgement. (Also Read: Defence lawyer says will file review petition)

“Taking the serious injuries, the severe nature of offence committed by the convicts, we are upholding the sentence,” said the three-judge bench. Justice Bhanumati said that there should be systematic education of children of  to ensure how they will give respect to women. She quoted Swami Vivekananda on how tradition should enrich society with knowledge and understanding to ensure justice for women.

Justice Bhanumati and Justice Ashok Bhushan also concurred with Justice Deepak Mishra’s judgement pronouncing upholding the death penalty of the convicts.

One of the accused, Ram Singh had hanged himself in prison, while another person, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was convicted in August last year and will serve the maximum sentence of three years in a reform home.

Here are other things that the Supreme Court said in its verdict on Friday:

• Aggravating circumstances outweigh mitigating circumstances in the case; offence created ‘tsunami of shock’
• Nature and manner of the crime devastated social trust, falls in ‘rarest of rare’ category warranting death penalty.
• Victim’s dying declaration is consistent; it has been proved beyond doubt and corroborated.

The 23-year-old was brutally assaulted and raped by six persons on a moving bus in South Delhi and thrown out of the vehicle with her male friend on the night of December 16, 2012. She died days later in a Singapore hospital on December 29, 2012.