Verdict on Nirbhaya rapists should serve as a message: Women activists

SC will decide today whether the four men, convicted for the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder in 2012 in Delhi, will be hanged or not.

New Delhi: Hours before the judgment on the review petitions filed by the accused in the 2012 Delhi gang rape, women activists on Monday hoped justice would be served to the victim and her family.

Speaking to ANI, women activist Annie Raja said that a message needs to be sent across the society through this judgment.

"The family of Nirbhaya, who have been waiting for justice since years, should find peace. Through this verdict, a message needs to be spread in the society that if you commit such a heinous crime, you will have to face the consequences," Raja said.

Raja also said justice should be delivered to the victims of such crimes in a time-bound manner.

"None of the rape cases should be used for a political purpose," she added.

Echoing similar views, another women activist, Sandhya Rani, said that quick reaction and response on rape cases is essential.

"Nirbhaya case is a landmark case (a court case that is studied because it has historical and legal significance). I wish justice will be given to Nirbhaya and her family," she added.

The Supreme Court will pronounce judgment on the review petitions filed by the three convicts in the brutal December 2012 Delhi gang-rape case at 2 pm today.

The apex court had on May 4 reserved its order on the review petitions filed by the convicts-- Pawan Gupta(31), Vinay Sharma (25), and Mukesh (31).

A three-judge bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and also comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan and R Bhanumathi, will pronounce the verdict in the case.

The fourth convict, Akshay Thakur (33) has not filed a review petition yet. The apex court had however in the last hearing, granted three weeks' time to Akshay to file his review petition in the case.

According to the prosecution, the 23-year-old para-medical student was assaulted and raped by six persons in a moving bus in South Delhi and thrown out with her male friend on the night of December 16, 2012. She subsequently died during the treatment at a Singapore hospital on December 29 the same year.

Out of the six convicts, prime accused Ram Singh had allegedly committed suicide in Tihar jail in 2013 during the trial of the case. Another accused was found out by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) as a minor and sentenced to three years term at a probation home.

Saket's Fast-track Court on September 13, 2013, pronounced death sentence to all the four convicts. The trial court then referred the case to the Delhi High Court for confirmation of their death sentence.

The Delhi High Court had on January 2017, reserved its verdict on confirming the death sentence and appeals of the four convicts.

The Supreme Court had on May 5, 2017, upheld the Delhi High Court order of death penalty to the four convicts, following which three convicts of them appealed before the Supreme Court for review its order of sentencing them to the gallows.