The Supreme Court on July 9 will pronounce its verdict on a review plea filed by three of the four convicts seeking reduction of their death sentence to a life term in Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case.
A bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and two other justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan is expected to deliver its judgement on the pleas of three convicts Mukesh, 29, Pawan Gupta, 22 and Vinay Sharma, 23.
Death row in the case was first pronounced by Saket’s Fast-track Court on September 13, 2013 and the court referred the case to Delhi High Court for confirmation of 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, last year, upheld the Delhi High Court order of death penalty to the four convicts. Following this, the three convicts appealed to top court for reviewing its order.
There were total six accused in the case, out of which the bus driver Ram Singh killed himself in his prison cell and other was a juvenile and convicted by juvenile justice board and sentenced to three years term at a probation home.
Other four convicts were sentenced to death for the gang-rape and killing of the 23-year-old medical student in a moving bus in South Delhi on December 16, 2012. The victim was severely assaulted before being thrown out of the bus. The girl died during her treatment at a hospital in Singapore on December 29, 2012.
The whole incident invited much rage and protests across the country that has resulted in big changes to laws on sexual crimes against women.
Advocate A. P. Singh, representing fourth convict Akshay, said: “Akshay has not filed a review petition yet. We will be filing it.”
