Hope SC delivers justice to our daughter this time, says Chhawla gang rape victim's father

"When they were freed, we feared they would harm others again and that's what happened," says the Chhawla gang rape and murder victim's father after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea seeking review of its verdict acquitting the three accused.

He also hoped that the court delivers justice to their deceased daughter this time, and said the acquitted men are hardened criminals who cannot be reformed.

The apex court on Wednesday agreed to constitute a three-judge bench to consider Delhi Police's plea for a review of its verdict acquitting the three death row convicts in the gang rape and murder of the 19-year-old girl in Delhi's Chhawla area in 2012.

The move came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, told a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala that one of the acquitted recently slit a person's throat.

The father also alleged that the other two acquitted in the case are roaming free and should be put behind bars immediately.

"Our fears have come true. Three of the criminals involved in the brutal gang rape were acquitted by the Supreme Court in December last year, and after coming out of jail, they did not mend their ways. One of them, Vinod, killed an autorickshaw driver in Dwarka. So, it is all the more important that these hardened criminals be put behind bars as they are capable of repeating such offences, he told PTI.

"We want the other two acquitted criminals, Rahul and Ravi, who are now roaming around freely, to be put behind bars as well because they will indulge in such offences again. They do not seem to have learnt the lessons from their past mistakes," the man added.

He said he has been demanding since the very beginning that those guilty of raping and killing their daughter be hanged to death.

"When they were acquitted, we feared these men would harm others again and that's what happened and it is now a reality. These criminals proved us right. There should be a thorough investigation against all the accused persons and they should be hanged to death," he said.

He stressed that the Delhi Police has been working on the case for a long time and had also filed a plea for a review of the top court's verdict acquitting the three death row convicts. At least this time, the court should take action against the accused persons, he added.

The victim's mother said all she wants is justice for her daughter so that a strict message is sent out and there is a fear of law in the country.

"It is a battle we have been fighting for the last 11 years," she said, adding this is also a battle for safety and security of the daughters of this country.

"I felt so disappointed when the judge acquitted those three men last year. See what has happened now. One of them killed an autorickshaw driver and ruined his family. All we want is justice.

"This fight for justice has not been an easy journey. They were acquitted last year but I did not lose hope. I still have faith in the judiciary that one day, my daughter will definitely get justice," she said tears in her eyes.

Women's rights activist Yogita Bhayana said there is still a ray of hope.

"This is a ray of hope for us. One of the accused was involved in a murder and even when they were serving jail time, they had created a nuisance inside the prison. The Supreme Court has now constituted a three-judge bench, and this gives hope even to the other families fighting similar cases. Had the accused not been acquitted, the murder that happened in Dwarka could have been averted," Bhayana said.

In 2012, the three accused had gang-raped the 19-year-old girl, murdered her and mutilated her body with a screwdriver and other weapons. The trial court awarded them the death sentence and the high court upheld it in August 2014. The apex court set aside the high court order and acquitted them of the offences in November last year.