Supreme Court dismisses review plea of Nirbhaya convict challenging juvenility verdict

On Friday, a Supreme Court bench dismissed the review plea of Pawan Kumar Gupta, a convict in the Nirbhaya case against the apex court's verdict on whether he was a juvenile at the time of committing the crime. On January 20, the SC has upheld the Delhi High Court's order that Gupta was not a juvenile on December 16, 2012. He along with the three other rapists are scheduled to hang till death on February 1, 2020, at 6 am. On Thursday, the curative plea of another Nirbhaya convict Akshay was dismissed by the apex court.

Read: Chronology Of Events In Nirbhaya Case

What is the Nirbhaya case? 

A 23-year-old paramedic student Nirbhaya was gang-raped inside a running bus by six persons on December 16, 2012, in Delhi. The victim was severely assaulted and thrown out on the road along with her male friend and succumbed to injuries a few days later. Out of the six convicts, one reportedly committed suicide in prison, while another, a juvenile, served maximum punishment of three years in a reform home and was set free in 2015. The remaining four rapists were convicted and handed the death penalty by a trial court in 2013, confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014. The Supreme Court upheld the Delhi High Court's verdict in 2017. 

Read: Nirbhaya Case: Court Issues Notice To Tihar Jail Seeking Report On Convicts' Plea For Stay On Execution

'Their only aim is to ensure that the date of hanging is deferred' 

On Thursday, Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi accused the advocates of the rapists of making a mockery of the judicial system. She also blamed the existing law which gave precedence to the rights of the convicts. According to her, the entire attempt of the convicts was to ensure that the date of hanging was deferred. Thereafter, she expressed hope that the rapists would be hanged as soon as possible.  

Read: Nirbhaya Case: Jallad Pawan Kumar Reports At Tihar Jail, Two Days Prior To Feb 1 Execution

Asha Devi remarked, “What their lawyers have done is a mockery of the law. Such a law has been made. Why has such a law been kept even though 7 years have lapsed and many such incidents have happened? When the death warrant was issued, they remembered to file all the petitions. Their only aim is to ensure that the date of hanging is deferred. That’s what is happening. January 22 lapsed, now February 1 is going to come. Our law is supporting them. But I am also struggling for 7 years. I have followed every law. I hope that they are hanged as soon as possible.” 

Read: Nirbhaya Case: Patiala House Court To Hear Plea Of Convicts Seeking Stay On Execution