7 Years After Brutal Gang Rape, Nirbhaya Convicts Hanged to Death at Tihar Jail

7 years after brutal gang rape, Nirbhaya convicts were hanged to death at Tihar Jail. Less than two hours before the execution, the Supreme Court dismissed the final petition by the convicts. The four who convicted in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case were hanged to death at 5.30am on Friday, ending a long 7 year legal battle.

In the hours before that, the convicts had also petitioned the Delhi High Court, where their lawyer, according to reports, cited coronavirus for the lack of proper documents along with the hurriedly-filed appeal. However, their efforts went in vain as the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea after a one and a half-hour of hearing. The hearing took place at Justice Manmohan's residence late 19th night.

Key Background

• A 23-year-old paramedic student was gang-raped and brutally murdered,  including one juvenile in a moving bus in Delhi, back on December 16, 2012. 
• Four of Nirbhaya convicts – Akshay Thakur Singh, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Sharma were hanged after a Delhi Court rejected a plea seeking a stay on the execution.
• Three of the convicts, namely Akshay Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, and Vinay Sharma moved the higher court but their plea was dismissed due to lack of substantiative arguments and evidence.
• The fifth rapist killed himself in jail and the juvenile rapist was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term

History Of The Case

Nirbhaya's Mother Denies Reports Of Joining The Congress Party

Young 23 year old girl was brutally gang-raped and murdered by six men including a juvenile in Delhi while she was taking a bus home with a friend. The incident took place on the night of 16 December 2012. The case witnessed many twists, with one of the convicts killing himself in jail and the other four adult convicts filing many pleas to request for pardon. The raped paramedic student was given the name “Nirbhaya (fearless)”. After her death, 11 days after the brutal assault, her parents started a campaign to get her justice. Asha Devi and Badrinath, organized Nirbhaya Chetna Diwas every year in their unfailing demand for justice for their daughter. The Delhi court issued a death warrant against the four convicts on January 7. And 7 years after the brutal gang rape and murder, Nirbhaya Convicts Hanged to death at Tihar Jail on 20th March 530 am.

Case See Many Twists in 2020

January 7: Trial court signs death warrants for all four convicts to hang on January 22, 2020 (7 am)

January 14: SC rejects curative petition of Vinay and Mukesh; Mukesh files mercy petition before President of India

January 17: President Ram Nath Kovind rejects mercy plea of Mukesh and later trial court issues death warrants again with execution date as February 1, 2020 (6 am)

January 25: Mukesh moves Supreme Court against rejection of mercy plea

January 29: Akshay approaches Supreme with a curative petition, Supreme Court rejects plea of Mukesh challenging rejection of his mercy plea

January 30:Supreme Court dismisses curative plea of Akshay

January 31:Supreme Court dismisses plea filed by Pawan seeking review of its order rejecting his juvenility claim

February 1: Centre moves Delhi HC against the trial court order

February 5: Delhi HC dismisses Centre's plea against the trial court order, says all four convicts have to be hanged together; it further directs the convicts to pursue all legal remedies within a week, failing which the authorities ordered to take action in accordance with law; President rejects mercy petition of Akshay

February 6: President rejects mercy petition of Akshay

February 7: Trial court dismisses Tihar's plea seeking fresh date for execution of convicts

February 11: Vinay moves SC against mercy plea rejection. Supreme Court issues notices to all four death row convicts on Centre's appeal against Delhi HC verdict

February 13: Vinay complains of alleged torture in jail, Supreme Court reserves order on his mercy review;Supreme Court defers hearing on separate hangings and appoints a new lawyer for Pawan

February 14: SC dismisses Vinay's plea against no mercy, rejects the argument of mental illness

February 17: Trial court issues March 3 execution date

February 22: Trial court dismisses Vinay's plea for medical treatment

February 28: Pawan files curative petition in SC

March 2: SC dismisses PIL seeking direction on organ donation by the four death row convicts; Patiala House court dismisses plea by convicts for a stay on death warrant; Pawan files mercy plea after the rejection of the curative petition by SC a day before scheduled hanging

March 3: For the third time, trial court defers hanging of the four death row convicts

March 4: Delhi government moves court seeking fresh date for execution for convicts; Pawan's mercy plea rejected

March 5, 2020: Trial court signs death warrants for March 20 (5:30 am)

March 7: SC rejects Mukesh's plea seeking urgent hearing on Monday

March 13: Vinay moves Delhi HC claiming procedural lapse in mercy plea rejection

March 16: Convicts move International Court of Justice (ICJ); SC dismisses Mukesh's plea to refile curative, mercy petition

March 17: Akshay writes a second mercy plea to the President after the first was rejected; trial court dismisses Mukesh's plea seeking quashing of the death penalty

March 18: Convicts' counsel AP Singh moves Delhi's Patiala House court seeking a stay on the death warrants on March 18; Delhi HC reserves order on Mukesh's plea claiming absence from Delhi at time of incident

March 19: Supreme Court dismisses the petition of death row convict Pawan against the rejection of his mercy plea by the President and seeking a stay on execution; Delhi High Court dismisses plea challenging lower court's refusal to stay death warrants

Also Read: Should We Celebrate The Custodial Killing Of Hyderabad Rape Accused?