Nirbhaya Case Live News: All 4 Convicts Finally Hanged To Death

All four convicts, after their counsel's seven years of legal manoeuvre and delay tactics, were hanged to death in Delhi's Tihar Jail sharp at 5:30 am today.

(Image: PTI)

New Delhi: After seven years of a torturous legal battle, daughter of the country - Nirbhaya - on the wee hours of Friday finally got the much awaited justice she deserved. All four convicts, after their counsel's  legal manoeuvre and numerous delay tactics, were hanged to death in Delhi's Tihar Jail sharp at 5:30 am today. Pawan Jallad, the hangman from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district, was tasked with the duty to hang the four convicts. A handful of posters reading "thanks to judiciary" and "the morning of justice" surfaced outside the Tihar Jail premises today. Security was beefed up outside the Jail in view of the hanging of four convicts. In her first reaction, Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi expressed satisfaction that justice was finally delivered and said that her faith in the judiciary had been vindicated. "Our fight for security of daughters across the country will continue" she said. "I returned from the Supreme Court, hugged my daughter's photograph and told her: 'Today, justice has been delivered'." "I dedicate this day - March 20 to all the women in the country because Nirbhaya got justice, today," she said. As the clock struck 5.30 a.m. on Friday the crowd assembled outside the Jail burst into celebration and even distributed sweets. Slogans of 'Nirbhaya zindabad' and 'live long Nirbhaya' were also raised. "We have come here to see justice unfold before our eyes," said Dolly Malik, an airhostess by profession. Social activist Yogita Bhayana looked visibly excited for the execution and said, "I'm here to witness the judgement day. Sweets will be distributed." According to reports, the executions were carried out as per the guidelines prescribed under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018. As per the prison rules, all four prisoners were first marched to the scaffold with their hands pinioned behind their back. A cotton cap with a flap was then put on their face just before they entered the gallows enclosures. The Jail Superintendent, District Magistrate and Medical Officer were also present at the venue where the executions took place. A Delhi Trial Court on Friday turned down another manoeuvre adopted by the convicts  -- Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay (31) -- and dismissed an application seeking a stay on their execution on the grounds of pending legal remedies. The Patiala House Court, which had earlier set 5:30 am as the time of execution for the Nirbhaya convicts, refused to stay the death warrants issued by it for brutally raping and murdering a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, later dubbed as 'Nirbhaya', on December 16, 2012. Advocate AP Singh then moved the Delhi High Court on late Thursday night challenging the Trial Court's order. In a late night hearing, even the Delhi High Court dismissed Singh's plea for not adhering to prerequisite technicalities before filing the petition. "There is no annexure, no memo of parties, there is nothing in this matter, no affidavits, nothing. Do you have the permission to file this petition?" the Judge had asked the counsel. The death-row convicts, represented by advocate, had knocked on the doors of the trial court two days before the execution seeking a stay on their hanging. A bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna during today's hearing said that no ground was made out in Akshay's plea for judicial review of the decision rejecting mercy petition. Soon after a Delhi court on Thursday paved the way for the hanging of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, the victim's mother Asha Devi said that "this is the moment of justice for the whole country". This is how the whole saga, for which the entire country awaited with bated breath, came to an end and justice was imparted to India's daughter, Nirbhaya.