The proceedings barely lasted five minutes. At 2.30 pm on Friday, additional sessions judge Yogesh Khanna stepped onto the dais and said, “Death to all,” thus sealing the fate of Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur—the four held guilty in the vicious Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case which had left the country convulsing in horror.
Amid heavy police deployment and with hundreds of people gathered outside, the fast track court said capital punishment was being given for Nirbhaya’s murder because the incident had “shocked the collective conscience of society and calls for withdrawal of the protective arm of the community around the convicts”.
The judge said the “ghastly act of the convicts definitely puts this case in the bracket of rarest of rare”. The death sentence, however, needs to be confirmed by the Delhi high court.
Such were the strong emotions of retribution in this case that people shouted in joy and clapped when lawyers came out of the courtroom saying, “Sabko faansi hui (All have got death)”.
The pronouncement left Akshay, Pawan and Mukesh stunned while Vinay broke down in the court. Nirbhaya’s family, which was also present, looked relieved and thanked everyone present.
Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur given death for 23-year-old Nirbhaya’s murder Also awarded life imprisonment for gangrape and criminal conspiracy Fined 55,000 each
The convicts showed ‘exceptional depravity and extreme brutality’
Their young age cannot be held as a factor against award of death sentence
The rarest-of-rare test largely depends on the perception of the society
"Inhuman acts of torture before her death had not only shocked the collective conscience but calls for withdrawal of the protective arm of the community around the convicts",said the Judge
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