Supreme Court upholds death penalty in Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case; mother welcomes decision

Three of the four convicts had filed review pleas before the top court, seeking the death sentence to be reduced to life term.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan and R Bhanumathi, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, pronounced the verdict.

The judges said 'there is no new material to review our order' on the review petition by the three convicts-  Mukesh,  Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma.

The fourth death-row convict, Akshay Kumar Singh, did not file a review petition against the apex court's May 5, 2017 judgment, which upheld a Delhi High Court ruling confirming the death sentence for the adult convicts.

Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi also welcomed the verdict and said her daughter and the people of the country got justice.

"The fight is still going on. We have once again got justice," Asha Devi told reporters.

"We hope that the culprits will be executed as soon as possible," she said.

One of the accused in the case, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

While another accused, the juvenile who was only a few days short of turning 18, was convicted by a juvenile justice board. He was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.

Politicians welcome SC verdict:

"This wud act as a deterrent for those who indulge in such heinous crimes," tweeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Former top cop-turned-politician Kiran Bedi said: " Nirbhya finally gets Justice. It was most gruesome crime..This is rarest of rare in a death penalty award. Gratitude to all officers/experts who did a perfect investigation by a team led by then Delhi police commisioner Neeraj Kumar. Fit case for judicial/law/police academies."

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: "Justice Prevails ! #NirbhayaVerdict The punishment is a lesson to all those, who attempt such horrid crimes. We stand by Nirbhaya's parents,as always, in this quest of justice! Hope Govt will now follow up to act decisively on issues of women’s safety. "

2012 Nirbhaya Rape Case:

On Dec 16, 2012, six people gangraped and brutalised the 23-year-old Delhi Braveheart or Nirbhaya (the name coined by the media to refer to the victim) with an iron rod on a moving bus in New Delhi.

The victim succumbed to her injuries at a Singapore hospital on Dec 29 where she was taken for treatment in an air ambulence.

The incident triggered nationwide outrage against rising cases of crime against women in India with people pouring into the streets of New Delhi for days and demanding a change of law and strict punishment of the accused.