The lawyer of the convicts, has no facts to present now: Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi
The four convicts in the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student were hanged at Delhi's Tihar Jail at 5:30 am today. After the hanging, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Justice has prevailed." He further said that together we have build a nation where there is focus on women empowerment and also an emphasis on equality and opportunity.
After three of the four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case moved the Delhi high court Thursday evening challenging the trial court order declining to stay their execution scheduled for early Friday morning, Supreme Court today also rejected the petition of death row convicts and refused to defer the execution.
Hundreds of people, carrying the national flag and shouting slogans of ''long live Nirbhaya'' and ''Bharat Mata ki Jai'', gathered outside the Tihar Jail, with some of them distributing sweets after the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case were executed.
A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court consisting of Justice R Banumathi, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice AS Bopanna began hearing the case around 2:30 am.
The victim's had parents expressed confidence before the Supreme Court began hearing the petition and said that the top court will dismiss their plea and the four convicts will be hanged today as scheduled.
"Their time is up and they will be hanged at 5:30 am today," Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi had said.
Here are the updates of the Nirbhaya Case:
Nirbhaya Case: One broke down, other rapists didn't show resistance while being taken for hanging
None of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case put up any resistance when they were being taken to the gallows on Friday but Vinay Sharma broke down, a Tihar jail official said.
The convicts also did not show any signs of anxiety on the night before their execution and skipped breakfast on Friday, he said.
"The four convicts showed no signs of anxiety last evening or put up any resistance while being taken to the gallows for hanging. Vinay broke down when he was being taken for the execution," the official said.
Anticipating that the convicts might show some resistance, strongmen were kept on standby, he said, reported news agency (PTI).
Nirbhaya Case: Bodies of rapists handed over to families
Bodies of the four Nirbhaya gang rape and murder convicts were handed over to their respective families for last rites on Friday after the post-mortem was conducted at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in Delhi, jail officials said.
Jail officials said the bodies were kept hanging for half an hour, a mandatory procedure after execution as per the prison manual.
"After the doctor examined the bodies and declared all four dead, they were sent to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for the autopsy. Later, their bodies were handed over to their families," Director General of Tihar Jail Sandeep Goel said.
According to a senior jail official, Akshay's body will be taken to his village in Bihar's Aurangabad. "The family members of Mukesh will take his body to Rajasthan. The bodies of Vinay and Pawan will be shifted to their houses at Ravidas Camp in south Delhi," they said.
Earlier, their family members rushed to the hospital for the necessary paper work before the autopsy.
There were elaborate security arrangements at the hospital, especially near the mortuary. No person, except the hospital staff and the relatives of convicts, was allowed near the mortuary.
This is the first time that four convicts have been hanged together in Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest prison complex that houses more than 16,000 inmates.
Nirbhaya Case: Minister, jurist join Nirbhaya family to call for plugging loopholes in rape laws
Political leaders, jurists and Bollywood celebrities on Friday joined the family of Nirbhaya to call for plugging loopholes in the rape laws to ensure those on death row for this crime are not allowed to "manipulate" the legal system for delaying the execution.
"It's a day of satisfaction that a daughter, who underwent so much pain, has got justice," Mr Prasad told reporters in Parliament premises.
"It's time for judiciary, government and civil society to introspect whether death row convicts can be allowed to manipulate system and cause delay."
Retired Supreme Court judge N Santosh Hegde expressed concern that it took a "long-time" to give effect to the top court's final judgement in the Nirbhaya case and called for steps to curb the misuse of the system.
"... the time taken to ultimately give effect to the final judgement of the Supreme Court gives rise to some sort of a thinking in the mind of the people: Is justice really functioning?" Mr Hegde told PTI.
Nirbhaya Verdict: Nirbhaya Convicts Hanging "Dark Stain" In Indian's Human Rights: Amnesty International
Death penalty is never the solution. Hanging of Nirbhaya convicts a 'dark stain' on India's human rights record: Amnesty International India.
Nirbhaya Verdict: Nirbhaya's Ancestral Village Celebrated After 4 Convicts Hanged
It was both Holi and Diwali, so to speak, in Nirbhaya's ancestral village of Medwara Kala in Uttar Pradesh where her family members and locals gathered for celebrations after the hanging of the four men convicted of the gangrape with her grandfather saying Friday marked a new beginning.
"March 20 should be celebrated as 'Nirbhaya Diwas'. It is a new beginning. The convicts were more dangerous than the ''corona'' and they are no more now," Nirbhaya's grandfather Lalji Singh said referring to the coronavirus outbreak.
After the rape incident, we have not celebrated Holi or Diwali but we are celebrating both today, he remarked.
"The accused would have been executed earlier had Delhi's AAP government not favoured a mercy petition. There should be a time-bound decision on women-related crimes," he said.
Nirbhaya's uncle Suresh Singh along with other villagers chanted 'Mil gaya, Nirbhaya ko nyay' (Nirbhaya got justice) and danced to tunes and played musical instruments while playing with colours.
Nirbhaya Verdict: Law Had Taken Its Course: Safdarjung Doctors Who Operated Nibhaya
Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital who treated "Nirbhaya" in 2012 remembered her as a "brave woman" and said that with the hanging of the four convicts law had taken its course.
The 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was brutally gangraped in a moving bus by six men, including a juvenile, on the night of December 16, 2012. She was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital before being airlifted to Singapore for treatment where she succumbed to injuries.
Dr BD Athani, who was the medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital when Nirbhaya was treated, said they have got "closure".
"I was involved in the medical management part of it. It was a very heinous crime that they committed. Law has taken its course. We had referred the patient to Singapore. We have got closure as far as this patient is concerned," he said.
Dr Athani said they were under immense pressure at that time and despite that "medically, the case withstood scrutiny".
"We did not spare any efforts in treating her and tried till the end. I appreciate the team of doctors. Right from the senior resident who was on duty when she was brought to the hospital to the other doctors.
They were all emotionally affected but it did not affect the treatment," he said.
Nirbhaya Verdict: 4 Nirbhaya Convicts Didn't Take Bath, Skipped Breakfast: Officials
The four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, who were hanged in Tihar jail early morning on Friday, did not take a bath and also skipped their breakfast, the last meal, before the execution of sentence.
According to officials, two of the convicts - Mukesh Singh and Vinay Sharma - had their dinner on time, which included roti, dal, rice, and sabzi. On the other hand, Akshay Singh Thakur and Pawan Gupta did not have their dinner. However, Akshay Singh Thakur had tea on Thursday evening.
The convicts were given regular updates on the midnight hearing in the court.
The convicts were wearing the same clothes they were wearing last night when they were hanged, sources told.
According to sources in Tihar Jail, convict Mukesh Singh had wished to donate his organs and had given it in writing to the authorities ahead of the execution. Vinay Sharma, on the other hand, offered Jail Superintendent to keep the paintings made by him in jail.
Nirbhaya Verdict: Ex-Delhi Police Chief Says Nirbhaya Case "Most Critical" In His 37-Year Career
Neeraj Kumar, who headed the Delhi Police when Nirbhaya was gang-raped and murdered in 2012, on Friday said it was the "most critical" case in his 37-year career.
Expressing relief at the outcome of the case after the four convicts were hanged in Tihar Jail, the 1976-batch IPS officer said his reputation was at stake with the case that caught the attention of the entire country.
Had this case not been brought to its logical conclusion, "all that I had done in my professional career would have been negated", he said.
Mr Kumar, who is credited with many successful investigations that include deportation of dreaded terrorist Aftab Ansari, said the case was all the more important for him as there was a vociferous demand for his resignation and the world suddenly started "baying for my blood".
The incident was shocking and hearts of everyone from the police probe team were bleeding as more dirty details about the case surfaced one after another, he said.
Nirbhaya Verdict: "Wish This Could Be Done Earlier": Ravi Shankar PrasadUnion Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that, "All criminals who committed one of the most reprehensible crimes have been given capital punishment. I wish this could have been done earlier."
"It's a day of satisfaction that a daughter, who underwent so much pain, has got justice," Mr Prasad told reporters in parliament premises.
"It's time for judiciary, government and civil society to introspect whether death-row convicts can be allowed to manipulate system and cause delay."
Nirbhaya Verdict: "Justice Delayed, But Not Denied":Asha Devi On Nirbhaya Verdict"We finally got justice. We will continue our fight for justice for India's daughters. Justice delayed, but not denied," Asha Devi told reporters at her home. There was also an extraordinary hearing in the Supreme Court till 3.30 am.
Four men convicted of gang-raping and murdering a young Delhi woman, who came to be known as Nirbhaya, were hanged in pre-dawn darkness Friday, finally delivering hard-won justice to her family and to a nation outraged by the brutality of the crime on a winter night more than seven years ago.
Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) were executed at 5.30 am in Tihar Jail. And the mother of the 23-year-old intern who was savagely assaulted on December 16, 2012, let out a sigh of relief that her quest for justice was over at last.
Nirbhaya Verdict: All Loopholes In IPC, CrPC Revealed Through Nirbhaya Case: Minister
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said that all the loopholes in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), CrPC (Code Of Criminal Conduct) surfaced after the Nirbhaya case. He said quick punishment should be given in such matters. He said that Indian government should make some changes in the IPC and CrPC.
Nirbhaya Verdict: Our Nari Shakti Has Excelled In Every Field": PM On Nirbhaya VerdictPrime Minister Narendra Modi has said that justice has prevailed. He said that the safety and security of women is of utmost importance. He also said that Nari Shakti has excelled in every field. "Together,we have to build a nation where the focus is on women empowerment,where there's emphasis on equality & opportunity," PM Modi added.
Nirbhaya Verdict: Justice Was Delayed, But Finally Served: Smriti Irani On Nirbhaya VerdictUnion Minister Smriti Irani today said that although justice was delayed but it has been finally served. She also added, "This is a message to all those who think they can commit crimes against women and escape the law."
Ms Irani expressed her confidence that the justice was finally served in the matter where the four death row convicts were playing hide and seek with the law of the land.
"I creech today, this day with aplomb that Nirbhaya finally received justice," she said.
Nirbhaya Convicts Refused Last Meal, Hardly Slept, Didn't BatheThe four convicts in the Nirbhaya case spent a restless night at Delhi's Tihar Jail before their hanging before dawn today. Their last few hours were spent in isolation, in separate cells, jail officials said. The four men refused to eat and were up much of the night, said officials. The entire jail was on lockdown since last night, and officials said, few other prisoners in Asia's largest prison facility could sleep a wink ahead of the first execution since 2015.
Arvind Kejriwal On Nirbhaya Convicts' Hanging
"It took seven years for justice to be delivered. Today, we've to take a pledge that a similar incident does not happen again. We've seen how the convicts manipulated the law until recently. There are a lot of loopholes in our system, we need to improve the system," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
You can understand what is inside my heart by my smile: Nirbhaya's father
Nirbhaya Case Convicts: Victory of the legal system: Yogita BhayanaAmong the people who gathered outside the jail was social activist Yogita Bhayana holding a poster which read ''Nirbhaya has got justice. The other daughters still await''.
"Justice has been delivered finally," she said, adding it was a victory of the legal system.
I believe change will come, it will come: Swati Maliwal
Today, justice won after a long wait of 7 years. Nirbhaya's mother stumbled upon a rate for justice. The whole country landed on the streets, fasted. This is the victory of the whole country. Now we have to create a rigid system in the country. Satyameva Jayate !
All four convicts declared dead
Nirbhaya's father's appeal to the government to "address the loopholes". "Men who commit such crimes will have fear in their hearts after the execution today. They won't be able to sit still. Villages are awake now. Entire country is awake with us," he said.
Medical teams are assessing the bodies and they will be sent to Deen Dayal hospital for post-mortem.
Nirbhaya Case: Today, Nirbhaya got justice, says mother Asha Devi
"Finally the convicts have been hanged. This was a struggle of 8 years. First time, justice has been delivered. Today, Nirbhaya got justice. I want to thank everyone - the judiciary, the government, every citizen - for this. The courts proactively dismissed all petition after petition filed by the convicts to delay the hanging. The country was shamed in 2012. The way petitions were filed by the convicts in the case, it exposed the flaws in our laws and made us question the constitution. But, we have to be patient in our struggle. Our child is gone. We won't get our daughter back. This struggle was for the daughters of the country and for Nirbhaya. Girls will now feel safer. After the execution, families will start teaching their sons and use the hanging as an example. I hugged her picture after coming from the Supreme Court. I will proudly say, I am proud of my daughter. The world today knows me as Nirbhaya's mother. I am known because of her. I regret that I couldn't save her. If something like this ever happens to your family, support your daughters and ensure that the culprits are punished. Will appeal to the centre to make the process of delivery of justice time-bound, specially if there are multiple convicts in a case, to ensure there are no delays," says Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi.
Nirbhaya case: 7 Years Later, Nirbhaya's Killers HangedSeven years after a young medical student was gang-raped and tortured on a moving bus in Delhi, four of her killers were hanged at 5.30 am this morning. Less than two hours ago, the Supreme Court dismissed their final petition.
Nirbhaya Case: Ensured justice for all, says Solicitor General Tushar Mehta
"Our judicial system and executive government has ensured justice for all daughters of the country. This example will be a strong and imperishable deterrent," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta ahead of hanging.
Nirbhaya Case: Security beefed up outside Tihar Jail ahead of hanging
Security has beefed up outside the Tihar Jail ahead of the hanging of four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case on Friday. An official said that the deployment of security personnel has been increased outside Tihar Jail Number 3. Hundreds of people gathered outside the jail, with some of them carrying posters thanking the judiciary, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: Convicts taken to the gallows
The four convicts have been taken to the gallows ahead of their execution for the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old in 2012 in the national capital.
Nirbhaya Case: Convicts being taken to the execution room
Five people will be witness to the execution in Tihar Central Jail today - the Jail Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Medical Officer, Resident Medical Officer, the magistrate of the area and one staff of the jail. The convicts are now being taken to the execution room.
Nirbhaya Case: The convicts refuse breakfast ahead of their execution
The convicts have now been asked to bathe and offered breakfast. But they have all refused to eat. They have been taken out of their prison cells in Jail Number 3, where they will be hanged.
Nirbhaya Case: Medical check-up of convicts done in Tihar jail
Medical check-up was conducted for all the convicts ahead of their hanging.
Nirbhaya Case: All four convicts stayed awake the whole night ahead of hanging
Tihar officials take stock of preparations ahead of the hanging of the four convicts. The convicts, who stayed awake the whole night, are now being briefed about the execution.
Nirbhaya Case: Large crowd gather outside Tihar Jail
Hundreds have gathered outside the Tihar Central Jail in Delhi ahead of the hanging of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. Some people carried posters thanking the judiciary. Social activist Yogita Bhayana, who held a poster which read "Nirbhaya has got justice. The other daughters still await", said it is a victory of the legal system. "Justice has been delivered finally," she said. Akash Deep, who has been associated with the victim's family, said he was there to witness the victory of a long fought legal battle. "It was a tough fight. However, the justice won today," he said, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: Inmates of Tihar Jail remain awake for the execution of the convicts
Most inmates of Tihar jail are up before their wake-up call. It is for the first time in the history of the jail that four convicts will hang simultaneously with the time of execution announced well in advance.
Nirbhaya Case: Tihar jail locked down ahead of the convicts' hanging
Lockdown in Tihar jail as authorities begin preparation to hang the four Nirbhaya convicts. Prisoners of all categories will be kept locked up until the execution is over and the bodies are removed from prison.
Nirbhaya Case: Finally the convicts will be hanged, says Asha Devi"Finally the convicts will be hanged. I would like to thank all the people of the society, especially our daughters & women," says Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi to ANI after Supreme Court rejects last minute petition of the convicts.
Nirbhaya Case: Tihar Jail prepares to hang convicts at 5:30 am
Preparations for the hanging of four 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder convicts are complete in the Tihar Jail ahead of the 5:30 am hanging on Friday. Of the four convicts, Mukesh Singh and Vinay Sharma ate dinner on Thursday night and only Mukesh's family had come to meet him, Tihar officials said. Sources said that hours before their execution, all four accused - Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma, and Mukesh Singh - have started behaving hysterically. While Vinay Sharma was speaking incoherently, Pawan Gupta hurled abuses at the prison staff, sources said. Pawan Gupta also refused dinner and so did Akshay Thakur. The four convicts have been placed separately in four different cells under tight security.
Nirbhaya Case: Tihar Jail prepares to hang convicts
The executioner has woken up and a meeting is underway with jail officials. The four death row convicts of 2012 Delhi gang-rape case will be hanged at the jail at 5:30 am today, ANI quoted Tihar jail officials as saying.
Nirbhaya Case: Lawyers seeks permission to allow family members to meet convicts
Lawyers pleads before Supreme Court to allow family members of Pawan Gupta and Akshay Singh to meet them for 5-10 minutes before hanging. However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta object to it saying jail manual rules do not permit convicts to meet family members before hanging, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: All convicts to hang in Tihar Jail
Supreme Court rejects plea of death row convicts. All four convicts will hang at 5:30 am in Tihar Jail today as they exhaust all legal options.
Nirbhaya Case: Scope for review of President's rejection of mercy plea is very limited, says top court
Supreme Court says the court's consistent view is that the scope for review of President's rejection of mercy plea is very limited, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: Convicts' lawyer mentions Beant Singh's assassination before Supreme Court
The convicts' lawyer referred to the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and pleaded that Nirbhaya convicts be granted remission like convicts in that case, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: Supreme Court refuses to consider juvenility claim of convict
Supreme Court refuses to consider juvenility claim of death row convict Pawan Gupta. He now seeks deferment of execution by 1-2 days so that a statement can be recorded in the assault case. Pawan Gupta claimed before Supreme Court that he was assaulted in prison by policemen last year, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: Top court hears convicts' petition
Top court asks Pawan Gupta's counsel AP Sharma on what grounds he is challenging the rejection of mercy plea by President. The court tells AP Sharma that he had relied on the school certificate to claim juvenility and is using it again and again, reported PTI.
Nirbhaya Case: AP Singh in Supreme Court
Death row convicts petitioned the Supreme Court seeking to scrap the death penalty. Death row convict Pawan Gupta claims juvenility in the top court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to the juvenility plea of Pawan Gupta, saying this has been dealt with earlier, reported PTI.