Supreme Court upholds death penalty for Nirbhaya gangrape-murder convicts

Delhi gang-rape case: A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan delivered its judgement on the pleas of Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22) and Vinay Sharma (23).

Nirbhaya's parents show victory sign after the Supreme Courts verdict on Dec 2012 gang rape case, in New Delhi on Monday, July 9, 2018. The apex court upheld the death sentence of the three convicts in the case. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the death penalty given to the three out of the four convicts sent to the death row in the 2012 'Nirbhaya' gang rape and murder case. The apex court pronounced its verdict on the review pleas of the convicts today. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan delivered its judgement on the pleas of Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22) and Vinay Sharma (23). The four death row convict, Akshay Kumar Singh (31), has not filed a review petition against the apex court's May 5, 2017 judgement. Watch-

Welcome SC decision on Nirbhaya matter of upholding the death penalty to rapists. Wish the decision could have come earlier. Urge authorities to urgently execute the death penalty and give justice to Nirbhaya.

— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) July 9, 2018

The top court in its 2017 verdict had upheld the capital punishment awarded to them by the Delhi High Court and the trial court in the case of gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student on December 16, 2012 here. She was gang raped on the intervening night of December 16-17, 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 December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

They were not juveniles. It is unfortunate that they committed such crime. This decision reaffirms our trust in the court that we will definitely get justice: Asha Devi, mother of 2012 Delhi gang rape victim on SC's dismissal of the accused's review petition pic.twitter.com/6wt204ABG5

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2018

We knew that review petition will be dismissed. But what next? So much time has gone by & threat to women have gone up in this span. I believe sooner they're hanged, better it is: Badrinath Singh,father of 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim on SC's dismissal of 3 accused review petition pic.twitter.com/75xWcRmVOA

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2018

One of the accused in the case, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar jail here. A juvenile, who was among the accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board. He was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term. In its judgement, the Supreme Court had said that the "brutal, barbaric and diabolic nature" of the crime could create a "tsunami of shock" to destroy a civilised society. A look at the timeline of the case: