PM Modi issues statement on Nirbhaya rapists' hanging, says 'Justice has prevailed'

PM Modi on Friday reacted to the hanging of all four death row convicts of the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case stating that "justice had finally prevailed." All four convicts in the Delhi 2012 rape and murder case were finally hung to death in Tihar jail at 5.30 am after a long-drawn and exhaustive judicial procedure. Responding to their hanging, PM Modi said that ensuring the "dignity and safety of women was of utmost importance." He also remarked that people should focus on building a nation where there is "women empowerment and emphasis on equality and opportunity." 

Read: FINALLY: Four Convicts Hanged To Death In Delhi 2012 Gangrape And Murder Case At 5:30 AM

Four Convicts Hanged

Seven years and three months later, on March 20 the four convicts in the Delhi 2012 rape and murder case were brought to justice and hung to death in Tihar jail. Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) were executed on Friday at 5.30 AM, after a long delay attempt. The executions were carried out after the men exhausted every possible legal avenue to escape the gallows. Their despairing attempts only pushed the inevitable by less than two months after the initial date of hanging was set for January 22, 2020.

Read: Nirbhaya Rapists Hanged: LJP's Chirag Paswan Says It Will Help Raise "trust" In Judiciary

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: Doctors Declare Convicts To Be Dead After Pre-dawn Execution