Parents of 2012 gang rape victim move court for speedy hanging of convicts

New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS) The parents of the December 16, 2012 gang rape victim on Thursday moved a Delhi court seeking to expedite the hanging of all the four death row convicts in the case.

The 23-year-old paramedic student was raped and assaulted on the night of December 16, 2012 inside a running bus in south Delhi by six men before being thrown out on the road along with her male friend. She died on December 29, 2012 at a hospital in Singapore where she had been shifted for more advanced medical care.

The counsel for the victim's parents, advocates Jitender Kumar Jha and Seema Kushwaha, told Additional Sessions Judge Anu Grover Baliga that the need of the hour was to execute the death sentence awarded to the convicts as early as possible. The court will hear the case on March 2.

The plea said that not only was the entire nation waiting for the execution of the death sentence awarded to the convicts, but the whole world was looking toward the Indian judicial system.

"...execute the sentence awarded to the convicts, so that the majesty of the judiciary system over all remains intact and the faith of law abiding citizens remains intact in the institutions of justice delivery system," read the application.

The plea said the court must keep in mind the famous maxim 'justice delayed is justice denied' while acting upon this application.

On July 9, 2018, the Supreme Court had rejected the review petitions filed by three of the four convicts.

On May 5, 2017, the apex court upheld the death sentences awarded by a trial court and confirmed by the Delhi High Court to the four convicts -- Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22), Vinay Sharma (23) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31).

One of the accused, Ram Singh, had allegedly hanged himself in jail while another, a juvenile, was released after serving a three-year term in a reform facility.