Nirbhaya rape accused's father: My son is innocent

New Delhi: Father of one of the accused in Nirbhaya gang rape said that his son is innocent and has nothing to do with the crime. His father admitted that a brutal crime happened but said his son had nothing to do with it.

Hiralal Gupta, father of accused - Pawan Gupta, said that Pawan's mother keeps meeting their son. "Pawan told his mother he is being wrongly framed and that he was not involved in the gang rape. I am filing a case against Avanindra because his false testimony has compelled court to punish my son."

Pawan Gupta's father has filed a criminal case against the only witness in the case a friend of Nirbhaya identified as Avanindra Pandey in Patiala House court.

Pawan Gupta's lawyer AP Singh said the witness manipulated the Supreme Court, and hence the verdict. The lawyer even claimed that the witness is taking money for interviews.

Pawan Gupta, who was held in the Mandoli Jail, was recently shifted to Tihar according to a statement from Director General (Prison) Sandeep Goel. Pawan Gupta is currently lodged in Jail No 2 of Tihar, along with the other two accused - Mukesh Singh and Akshay. The fourth accused Vinay Sharma is in Jail No 4 of Tihar, as per information from the jail authorities.

2012 Nirbhaya Rape Case:

A 23-year-old paramedic student was brutally gang-raped on the night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a running bus in South Delhi by six people. She was severely assaulted,and thrown on the road after the assault. Nirbhaya succumbed to injuries on December 29, 2012 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

The Supreme Court had dismissed the review pleas by the accused - Mukesh (30), Pawan Gupta (23) and Vinay Sharma (24), saying no grounds have been made out by them for review of the verdict.

The apex court in its 2017 verdict had upheld the capital punishment awarded to them by the Delhi High Court and the trial court. Ram Singh - one of the accused in the case, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail in New Delhi. 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.